Question

As the community health LPN, you have received a referral for a 39-year old Indonesian lady for staple removal, post-op emergency cholecystectomy. Upon arrival to the home, you observe broken glass around the entrance of the basement apartment and note it is in desperate need of repairs. One of the windows has been boarded up and the step has a board missing and the wood looks rotten. The client answers the door, carrying a 2-year child on her hip and 2 older siblings, ages 5 and 7 are standing behind her. The children are all noted to be dressed in several layers of clothing. Upon entering the home, you note the home feels quite cold and damp. The only furniture you can see is a small table, two chairs and a mattress on the floor of the only bedroom. There is no visible toys, books, or TV. In communicating with the client, you detect a thick accent and she speaks in broken English. She informs you that she is doing ok; however, the family is struggling financially since they arrived in NL from Indonesia 1 year ago. Her husband is working at the local gas bar part time. The client states "I try get groceries cheap but that hard". " I like NL but miss my home country. (I talk to my family every month". I get job but need more education. My son he needs medicine but we no money. My husband has bad cough, he always tired and no taste no more." I attend my church online and meet 2 ladies from my home country. One lady wants to teach me how make masks. She tells me I think take English course by our church.

• What resources are available in your community?

• What is the role of a community health LPN in caring for the client and her family?

• Who should be included in the interprofessional care team for this client?

• How can the LPN provide culturally appropriate care?

• How can LPN’s working in community ensure they are empowering families to meet their own needs?

Answer 1

• Since the mother is clearly financially struggling along side taking care of 3 kids under the age of 7 , It can get pretty difficult and draining. As a community nurse i would provide career guidance and child health services to this family . Career guidance would give her a good income , like making masks. I would encourage her and guide her in the process . I would let her know that we were there as a comminity for her and her family to help her out in the time of crisis . This would ease her and let her take care of her children more better.
• Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare helps to prevent medication errors, improve the patient experience (and thus HCAHPS), and deliver better patient outcomes — all of which can reduce healthcare costs. It also helps hospitals save money by shoring up workflow redundancies and operational inefficiencies.
• Over all this can help the family by:

1. Improving patient care and outcomes

2. Reducing medical errors.

3. Starting any type of treatment needed faster.

4. Reduce inefficiencies and healthcare costs