Chapter 4 - Health of the Individual, Family and Community

A nurse performs an assessment of a family consisting of a single mother, a grandmother, and two children. Which interview questions directed to the single mother could the nurse use to assess the affective and coping family function? Select all that apply. a. Who is the person you depend on for emotional support? b. Who is the breadwinner in your family? c. Do you plan on having any more children? d. Who keeps your family together in times of stress? e. What family traditions do you pass on to your children? f. Do you live in an environment that you consider safe?

A & D - The five major areas of family function are physical, economic, reproductive, affective and coping, and socialization. Asking who provides emotional support in times of stress assesses the affective and coping function. Assessing the breadwinner focuses on the economic function. Inquiring about having more children assesses the reproductive function, asking about family traditions assesses the socialization function, and checking the environment assesses the physical function.

A nurse is practicing community-based nursing in a mobile health clinic. What typically is the central focus of this type of nursing care? a. Individual and family health care needs b. Populations within the community c. Local health care facilities d. Families in crisis

A - In contrast to community health nursing, which focuses on populations within a community, community-based nursing is centered on individual and family health care needs. Community-based nurses may help families in crisis and work in health care facilities, but these are not the focus of community-based nursing.

The nurse is prioritizing nursing care for a patient in a long-term care facility. Which examples of nursing interventions help meet physiologic needs? Select all that apply. a. Preventing falls in the facility b. Changing a patient's oxygen tank c. Providing materials for a patient who likes to draw d. Helping a patient eat his dinner e. Facilitating a visit from a spouse f. Referring a patient to a cancer support group.

B & D - Physiologic needs—oxygen, water, food, elimination, temperature, sexuality, physical activity, and rest—must be met at least minimally to maintain life. Providing food and oxygen are examples of interventions to meet these needs. Preventing falls helps meet safety and security needs; providing art supplies may help meet self-actualization needs; facilitating visits from loved ones helps meet self-esteem needs; and referring a patient to a support group helps meet love and belonging needs.

The nurse caring for patients postoperatively uses careful hand hygiene and sterile techniques when handling patients. Which of Maslow's basic human needs is being met by this nurse? a. Physiologic b. Safety and security c. Self-esteem d. Love and belonging

B - By carrying out careful hand hygiene and using sterile technique, nurses provide safety from infection. An example of a physiologic need is clearing a patient's airway. Self-esteem needs may be met by allowing an older adult to talk about a past career. An example of helping meet a love and belonging need is contacting a hospitalized patient's family to arrange a visit.

The nurse caring for families in a free health care clinic identifies psychosocial risk factors for altered family health. Which example describes one of these risk factors? a. The family does not have dental care insurance or resources to pay for it. b. Both parents work and leave a 12-year-old child to care for his younger brother. c. Both parents and their children are considerably overweight. d. The youngest member of the family has cerebral palsy and needs assistance from community services.

B - Inadequate childcare resources is a psychosocial risk factor. Not having access to dental care and obese family members are lifestyle risk factors. Having a family member with birth defects is a biologic risk factor.

A nurse uses Maslow's hierarchy of basic human needs to direct care for patients on an intensive care unit. For which nursing activities is this approach most useful? a. Making accurate nursing diagnoses b. Establishing priorities of care c. Communicating concerns more concisely d. Integrating science into nursing care

B - Maslow's hierarchy of basic human needs is useful for establishing priorities of care.

A visiting nurse working in a new community performs a community assessment. What assessment finding is indicative of a healthy community? a. It meets all the needs of its inhabitants b. It has mixed residential and industrial areas c. It offers access to health care services d. It consists of modern housing and condominiums

C - A healthy community offers access to health care services to treat illness and to promote health. A healthy community does not usually meet all the needs of its residents, but should be able to help with health issues such as nutrition, education, recreation, safety, and zoning regulations to separate residential sections from industrial ones. The age of housing is irrelevant as long as residences are maintained properly according to code.

A nurse caring for patients in a long-term care facility uses available resources to help patients achieve Maslow's highest level of needs: self-actualization needs. Which statements accurately describe these needs? Select all that apply. a. Humans are born with a fully developed sense of self-actualization. b. Self-actualization needs are met by depending on others for help. c. The self-actualization process continues throughout life. d. Loneliness and isolation occur when self-actualization needs are unmet. e. A person achieves self-actualization by focusing on problems outside self. f. Self-actualization needs may be met by creatively solving problems.

C, E & F - Self-actualization, or reaching one's full potential, is a process that continues throughout life. A person achieves self-actualization by focusing on problems outside oneself and using creativity as a guideline for solving problems and pursuing interests. Humans are not born with a fully developed sense of self-actualization, and self-actualization needs are not met specifically by depending on others for help. Loneliness and isolation are not always the result of unmet self-actualization needs.

A nurse works with families in crisis at a community mental health care facility. What is the BEST broad definition of a family? a. A father, a mother, and children b. A group whose members are biologically related c. A unit that includes aunts, uncles, and cousins d. A group of people who live together and depend on each other for support

D - Although all the responses may be true, the best definition is a group of people who live together and depend on each other for physical, emotional, or financial support.

A nurse working in an "Aging in Place" facility interviews a married couple in their late seventies. Based on Duvall's Developmental Tasks of Families, which developmental task would the nurse assess for this couple? a. Maintenance of a supportive home base b. Strength of the marital relationship c. Ability to cope with loss of energy and privacy d. Adjustment to retirement years

D - The developmental tasks of the family with older adults are to adjust to retirement and possibly to adjust to the loss of a spouse and loss of independent living. Maintaining a supportive home base and strengthening marital relationships are tasks of the family with adolescents and young adults. Coping with loss of energy and privacy is a task of the family with children.

family

any group of people who live together and depend on one another for physical, emotional, or financial support

nuclear family

family unit, family of marriage, parenthood, or procreation, and their immediate children

self-actualization needs

highest level on the hierarchy of needs, which include the need for individuals to reach their full potential through development of their unique capabilities

physiologic needs

need for oxygen, food, water, temperature, elimination, sexuality, activity, and rest; these needs have the highest priority and are essential for survival

self-esteem needs

need to feel good about oneself and to believe others hold one in high regard

extended family

nuclear family and other related people

safety and security needs

person's need to be protected from actual or potential harm and to have freedom from fear

basic human needs

something essential to the health and survival of humans; common to all people

community

specific population or group of people living in the same geographic area under similar regulations and having common values, interests, and needs

blended family

two single-parent families joined together to form a new family unit

love and belonging needs

understanding and acceptance of others in giving and receiving love