Changes in social structure, variations in family lifestyle:
It has altered health care priorities for maternal and child
health nurses. Today, client advocacy, an increased focus on health education,
and new nursing roles are ways in which nurses have adapted to these changes.
Cost Containment:
Cost containment refers to systems of health care delivery
that focus on reducing the
cost of health care by closely monitoring the cost of personnel, use and
brands of supplies, length of hospital
stays, number of procedures carried out, and number of referrals requested.
Expanded roles for nurses:
Increasing nursing responsibility for assessment and
professional judgment and providing expanded roles for nurse practitioners,
such as the nurse-midwife.
Family Centered Care:
More natural childbirth environment where partners, family
members may remain in a homelike environment, and participate in the childbirth
experience. By adopting a view of pregnancy, childbirth as a family event,
nurses can be instrumental in including family members in care and consult
family members about a plan of care and provide clear health teaching so that
family members can monitor their own care.
Access to Health Care:
Use of clinical preventive services, such as early prenatal
care, can serve as indicators of access to quality health care services.
Increase the proportion of pregnant women who begin prenatal care in the first
trimester of pregnancy
Shortening Hospital Stays:
Women who have begun preterm labor stay in the hospital while
lp[nabor is halted and then are allowed to return home on medication with continued
monitoring. Routine hospital stay for mothers and newborns after an
uncomplicated birth is now 2 days or less. Short-term hospital stays require
intensive health teaching by the nursing staff and follow-up by home care or
community health nurses.
Increased Use of Alternative Treatment Modalities:
There is a growing tendency to consult alternative forms of
therapy, such as acupuncture or therapeutic touch, in addition to, or instead
of, traditional health care providers. Nurses have an increasing obligation to
be aware of complementary or alternative therapies.
Increased Use of Technology:
The field of assisted reproduction (e.g., in vitro
fertilization), seeking information on the Internet and monitoring fetal heart
rates by Doppler ultra sonography are other examples. In addition to learning
these technologies, maternal and child health nurses must be able to explain
their use and their advantages to clients. Otherwise, clients may find new
technologies more frightening than helpful to them.
COMMENTS