A patient/family centered nursing care study on acute gastritis

Abstract

Nursing has had a significant effect on people’s lives, as rapid changes continue to transform the profession of nursing and health care system. According to the Henderson (1960), the unique function of the nurse, is to assist the individual either sick or well in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery or peaceful death that he or she would have performed unaided if he or she has the necessary strength, will or knowledge. It is a profession that uses specialized knowledge and skills to promote wellness and to provide care for people in both health and illness in a variety of practices setting. Many people believed that nursing started with Florence Nightingale, however nursing itself dates back to the beginning of motherhood when nurses were traditionally females. The history of nursing has its origin in the care of infants and children, so all mothers were nurses. The word nursing derives its meaning form the Latin word “nutricus” which means to nourish. The nursing profession has evolved from the rendering of care to a client in relation to just a disease and following orders from a physician to a comprehensive method of taking individualized care of an individual considering all aspects of the individual’s life. It now includes support given to the client/family emotionally, socially and spiritually. The patient and family care study are means by which final year students are assessed for the award of Registered General Nursing Certificate by the Nursing and Midwifery council of Ghana. The study helps the student nurse combine classroom knowledge and clinical experience in rendering nursing care to a client from time of admission to the time of discharge and also includes the continuity of care and rehabilitation. Care study is therefore written using the nursing process approach and offers the student the opportunity to do a lot of research into the causes, clinical features, diagnosis, complications, treatment and the prevention of various diseases. This means that before the student passes out successfully to become a registered nurse, the nursing care study would have successfully equipped the student with the knowledge and set of skills necessary to render care to an individual. Patient and family initials were used instead of full names to ensure confidentiality. Finally, it gives the student the opportunity to interact with the client/family at the ward, in their home during home visit and the community at large