A Client/Family Centered Nursing Care Study on Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Nursing started with the use of traditional medicine and other practices which were not guided or proved by theories or technology. The above trend of nursing was practiced by many great legends in nursing which include Florence Nightingale and Virginia Henderson.But currently, it is ensured that patients are nursed with a system in which theoretically and technologically based care are adopted. Hence, care study is adopted in a sense that patients are nursed using the nursing process which comprises of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation as a criteria and principle in nursing. Patient / Family care study is a detailed written account of the comprehensive nursing care given to a particular patient within a specific period of time.The main objective of the study is to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual and socio economic needs of the patient. The nursing process approach has been adopted in Ghana since 1980 to promote an individualized total patient care.The care is designed to promote, maintain and prolong life as well as alleviating discomfort and meet patient’s psychological needs.The care study offers the student nurse an opportunity to acquire much knowledge about the condition being catered for and to put into practice the knowledge acquired throughout the three years of training in giving of effective nursing care to patient and family.It also offers the student nurse an opportunity to practice the nursing process of giving quality care to patients based on the specific health needs. In this work, patient/family initials are used instead of full names to maintain confidentiality. The nursing process which comprises of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Finally, it forms part of the final assessment of the student nurse at the end of the three years training programmed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana for the license to practice as a Registered General Nurse in the country