Question

3. Discuss the role of the nurse in promoting the health of individuals and families when there are environmental issues confronting the community.

Answer 1

Environmental factors and issues that can cause disease are important to be taken into consideration while doing assessment, diagnosis and intervention.

Environmental issues that accect health are often overlooked, so the nurse can play core role in disease (as a result of environmental factors like dust , pollution , pollutants etc)prevention

Roles :

• The nurse should identify environmental hazards that may lead to certain diseases.
• For example: exposure to lead contaminated dust leads to elevated blood lead levels.  
• Determining Indoor/outdoor allergens causing asthma ,
• find history of asbestos exposure in workers
• Air pollution: carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides from poorly ventilated furnaces . The nurse must identify its source and also give suggestions to control it.
• The nurse can teach preventive measures and create awareness by educating the community about possible environmental hazards and its detrimental effects on health.
• Assess possible resources.
• Evaluation of interventions given to other people at same risk (family members, coworkers and other community members).
• Promote linkage between individual,and community.

Hence the nurse can abide environmental hazards /issues confronting in the community before they manifest a disease by proper assessment, diagnosis and intervention and create awareness.

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