The terms public health, community health nursing, and community-based nursing are very common, especially in my field of practice. It is very important to distinguish these three terms. In most cases, people do not understand how public health differs from community health nursing and community-based nursing. Distinguishing between community health nursing and community-based nursing is even more challenging (Laiho 641). Differentiating these terms will help all the stakeholders to understand the relevance of each of them in the field of healthcare. It will also avoid the confusion that often exists when using them.
Nursing codes of ethics differ from one specialty practice to another and from one nation to the other. There are codes of conduct expected of a nurse when handling patients, their friends and relatives, and their data. These codes of conduct are cut across the country because they are set at the national level. Individual institutions of health may come up with additional ethical codes, but they must be in line with the national codes of ethics. In the international context, there are a number of fundamental differences in the codes of ethics. According to Masters, these codes of ethics are set according to socio-cultural, political, and economic practices (78). The codes of conduct used in the United States where people are very liberal cannot be the same as the code of conduct used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where Islamic culture strictly defines the manner in which people relate. It makes sense to have more than one code of ethics for nurses (Grossman 86). The codes should be based on the beliefs and practices of people in a given country. Nurses working in different specialty practices may also need to have specific codes of conduct relevant to their practice. For instance, a nurse working in an operating room should be ready to work for very long hours when there is a need.
An interview of a public health nurse (PHN) revealed that the core concepts reflected in their practice are preventive and curative care. In their job description, more emphasis is placed on curative care (Truglio and Lewenson 12). In most of the cases, the patients brought to them already have a health problem hence they have to find ways of helping them out of their problem. There is a correlation between their job description and their practice. The emphasis on curative care given in their job description is always reflected in their practice. According to Stanhope and Lancaster, it is unfortunate that nurses are not always adequately involved in policy formulation that affects client services (51). The policymakers often engage professionals in this field who are at the top management level in government agencies. However, these senior professionals may sometimes be out of touch with the realities on the ground because they spend most of their working hours in offices. In the setting that I observed, I believe curative care is the most effective for implementation. As Thornbory (64) says, preventive care is a very important nursing concept because it helps in reducing cases of hospitalization. However, the only way of implementing it would be to organize public rallies and sensitize people on how to stay healthy. However, in the hospital setting, what patients need is relief from their medical problem, making curative care very important.
Works Cited
Grossman, Samuel. Mentoring in nursing: A dynamic and collaborative process. New York: Springer Publishers, 2013. Print.
Laiho, Andrew. “Academisation of nursing education in the Nordic Countries.” Higher Education 60.6 (2010): 641-656. Print.
Masters, Kennedy. Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014. Print.
Stanhope, Mary, and Jane Lancaster. Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community. St. Louis: Elsevier, 2015. Print.
Thornbory, George. Public health nursing: A textbook for health visitors, school nurses and occupational health nurses. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
Truglio, Martin, and Samuel Lewenson. Public health nursing: Practicing population-based care. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013. Print.