The Importance Of Family In Health Care

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A nurse that will venture into today’s care setting must be one that not only cares for the patient, but also cares for that patient’s family. A patient’s family is defined by King as an open systems theory as a social structure that has an impact on the growth and development of a person, Neuman’s system theory suggests that each individual is separate although they influence the structure the family unit, then Roy’s adaptation theory includes the community in the definition of the context of family (Potts & Manleco, 2012). Through the process of caring for all builds a circle of trust and support that is developed amongst the patient, their family, and the nurse. The patient will feel safe and secure, which will aid in their overall healing. …show more content…

A nurse’s main goal with the family is to educate and make them part of the child’s care plan and team throughout the patient’s care. The reasoning behind this is because, “It only makes sense that given the central role of family in a child’s life, the family must also play a central role in a child’s health and wellness care” (Harvey & Ahmann, 2016). The family of the patient is vital to their care since they have more experience and knowledge with the patient. In the article, Lower Extremity Orthoses in Children with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy: Implications for Nurses, Parents, and Caregivers, the author Kathleen Cervasio states, “their (the patients) parents, and their caregivers provide valuable knowledge and skills to support the physical and psychosocial needs of the child,” (Cervasio, 2011). Evidence based practice throughout the past few years have proven that this family involvement approach has resulted in the best outcome for pediatric patients. It is the goal of the nurse to open this doorway so that their patient will have the safest environment while attaining optimal …show more content…

By receiving all the information needed from the patient and family the nurse is then able to collaborate better with other health care professionals in providing a plan of care that is best for the individual patient (Potts & Mandleco, 2012). There are many ways for a nurse to achieve this, and one way is through therapeutic communication. One therapeutic communication technique is validation. When the nurse uses validation they provide soothing assistance (regulating emotions), creating a safe place, helps strengthen persistence through difficult times to reach a goal, enhances problem solving, decreases stress and conflict, leads to positive change, reinforces positive relationships, and leads to happier and better functioning families ( Harvey & Ahmann,

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