Comprehensive Community Health Nursing Cecy Correia
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1Comprehensive Community Health Nursing
2Comprehensive Community Health Nursing
Cecy Correia Nursing Tutor Uday General School of Nursing Cardinal Gracias Memorial Hospital Sandor, Bangli, Vasai (W) Thane, Maharashtra, India Foreword SA Pinto
3Published by
Jitendar P Vij
Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd
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Comprehensive Community Health Nursing
© 2011, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers
All rights reserved. No part of this publication should be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author and the publisher.
First Edition: 2011
9789350251621
Typeset at JPBMP typesetting unit
Printed at
4
This book is gratefully and fondly dedicated to my husband Mr Alois Macwan. He made it possible for me to write this book through his constant support and inspirations; and the push I got from him; otherwise, I would not have been able to write without him accompanying me all through. There is an invisible guiding hand behind this work. That is God. I bow my head in prostration before him for his guidance and invisible presence.5
6Foreword
I am indeed delighted to introduce a book titled Comprehensive Community Health Nursing by Cecy Correia, a renowned author and lecturer in community nursing. At the very onset itself let me congratulate Cecy Correia for having prepared such a wonderful book, which can be recognized by INC and MNC syllabus.
Cecy Correia has created a niche herself in the field of nursing education with her latest book Comprehensive Community Health Nursing. I am sure the response to this book will be no less and index will recommend it as a best book for school of nursing.
As a person associated with nursing education for the past few decades, I have come to realize more and more the vital information of community in the changing scenario of modern nursing profession.
Nurses today have to deal with a good number of communities knowing patients and health care professionals whether working within one's community or abroad. I have no doubt whatsoever that Cecy Correia is just the ideal tool to achieve these objectives.
This book is also great aid to medico-social workers, health and development project holders, voluntary health workers, and both postgraduates and undergraduates.
I hope this book will continue to serve not only the people of India, but also in allied subjects in the country.
My appreciation is extended to Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers for the great care bestowed in publishing of this book. It will definitely make unique contribution to the world of medical literature available. All this is possible because you are mediator for this book.
SA Pinto
Principal
Uday General School of Nursing
Cardinal Gracias Memorial Hospital
Sandor, Bangli, Vasai (W)
Thane, Maharashtra, India
7Preface
‘Learned from the Ground’ as NGO's point of view, I have worked and lived in the private organization for almost two decades working with grass root level rural poor where I was able to gather lots of experiences, which is treasureable and therefore like to share it through this book. For the students whom I am teaching the subjects on community health nursing: Part I and II, my experience was strengthened and it has benefited them in many ways and they insisted if I could put it into words, which will give them added knowledge on the subject.
As I was teaching and preparing my subject matter, I felt why not put it in to words, the unique way, which I have worked in community through a private organization with collaboration with Government agencies. I realized that I too have worked in rural grass root level for many years and the pattern of work I did and followed also could be put in to words that can help people who implement different integrated schemes and projects on developmental work. It can be good self-help for social workers, and get added knowledge for community health nurse. After all, NGOs, social workers, nurses, and Government agencies: all collaborate to work towards the betterment of people and their wholeness and wellness.
Community health includes first aid and small ailment treatment, home nursing, nutrition, environment, maternal and child health, communicable diseases control, school health, health information services, mobile health services, domiciliary health services, rural occupational health, elements of acupressure and herbal medicine, initiating developmental projects, community organization, innovative methods in health education, communication skills and home economics which I have tried to integrate into this book. So this book intended to help and will contribute to a great extent to help nurses, voluntary health workers, village health guides, dais, paramedical workers, community health nurses, nursing school students and for library use; and all those who are interested in common man's development who lives in remote village.
It also deals with many useful topics on changing face of the youth, youth towards tomorrow, youth self discovery, old age, facing death courageously, palliative care, common infectious diseases, complimentary medicines, nutrition, supplementary food, balwadis, all-round development and education, women's health, skills and people's day-to-day living and much more; as you turn every chapter, there is something for all.
It is based on experience of living and working in close contacts with different groups of people who are elevated and lifted up on different levels. I have struggled with them in their pain and sickness; and felt one with them, accompanied and walked with them a few miles and felt close with 8solidarity living close to nature and tried to live their insecurity, and learnt to live for a day. Helped them in health education, mobile clinic, village visits, participated in their cultural activities, celebration, and worships, adopted their foods and got enriched in return. When these come back to my memory as a flash back, it gives me contentment for spending that prime climax of youth, that part of precious life with precious people who are simple yet can teach you the art of living. Without them, I could not be what I am today. So I owe all my credit to these simple rural village people and bow before them in humility and dedicate this book to them who still continue to struggle with difference even today and carry them still close to my heart. Therefore, I humbly salute them.
The importance of taking care of one's body is a top priority. Today, preventable diseases are taking a heavy toll of human life worldwide. Every system of human body is affected by scores of diseases. When we succeed in containing one disease, another raises its head. We have made wonderful advances in medical sciencenew vaccines, key hole surgery, laser beam in surgery, PET scan, gene therapy, etc., but we can ask ourselves: Are we more healthier than our ancestors who did not have knowledge of these new scientific technologies? In ancient times, people were healthy. Many studies of people who lived to a ripe old age showed that a balanced diet of healthy food, contented minds, unpolluted environment and a focus in life enabled them to enjoy good health till they died naturally at ripe old age.
Noncommunicable diseases are taking away thousands of lives. Majority of deaths are ascribed to coronary diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. Infectious diseases caused by a causative agent can be fought by public health measures like safe water supply, environmental sanitation and immunization. Behavioral factors that are responsible for cerebrovascular diseases and cancer can be changed. They include smoking, excessive salt and sugar consumption, obesity, lack of exercises and stress.
Health is our most precious gift. Be wise to guard your health while you have it. As so many, by the way they live, that they are not diligent to preserve their bodies and eventually reap the unhappy result. ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’. Nursing a person at home; treatment you can give like medicated steam inhalation, hot water bottle, and hot pack; handling an injured person, preventing wound infection; and handling common emergencies at home. As it is said in the Vedas: Man can live individually, but can survive only collectively.
I express my deep sense of indebtedness and gratitude to all the authors and publishers of articles in different newspapers, health magazines, and books from which references have been drawn while preparing my classes, that I have made use of in writing this book. The inspiration came essentially from people at grass root level with whom I lived and worked almost two decades and the community health nursing students whom I am teaching this subject have requested me to accept this challenging task of writing this book and their constant encouragement; and assistance as a teacher, I have also learnt a lot from them. Do not consider this book to be an ideal one but a humble attempt is made. This will give relevant information to all those who work in slums and in rural villages as well as public health point of view.
Hence, our challenge is to form a progressive community by balancing the interests of the individual and that of the society. When one eye weeps, can the other sleep? At the bottom of everything is the question: What is the meaning of personal and collective responsibilities? Does it mean responding to a situation of caring out a set of work without feelings and concern? What is needed is a human touch, 9touching the core, sensitivity towards the poor people's woes and helps them to come out from reasons of becoming numb and insensitive. There is no uniform pattern of change, but change is the only thing that is permanent, the rest everything is transitory.
The writing of this book came as an inspiration and was like a gush of fresh air. It gave me a clearer vision, hope and zest for life. Poor only are surviving, now we have to make them ‘fully alive and fully human’. Teach them to live life in fullness. Make them realize fear is worthless, it gets reflected in perception of others; continuously ask yourself: Why am I doing this? What is my intention? Is my intention to prove my supremacy? What am I really doing? Am I helping the people at all? Am I really concerned about the people? Have I ever tried to understand the needs of people? Have I made any effort to know what they want? With the change of looking at self and at work should undergo change.
When the child runs away from home? When he does not feel at home in his own home! I would like to say that I have found purpose in life; I have learnt to live life fully. A little intervention will help them to come out of that state of stagnation. A little change in one person's life will reflect in several changes. Isn't it worth giving them a chance to make life worthwhile? In social sector, what is the core of an organization? Is it concerned for the people or the image, efficiency and target achievement? While streamlining the administration, increasing efficiency, are we not taking the risk of losing our direction? There will be a target and our aim and efforts will be to fulfil, the target. When we are preoccupied with the needs like meeting the deadlines, maintaining the name and reputation, keeping up the image, the goal of reaching the people will take a back seat. In the process of working for development, factors like care and concern have become dormant and needs like name, fame, image, recognition and money have come to the forefront. They become so dominant that they start dictating terms. Are we not placing what is convenient above what is necessary? Our aim is to work for the people with care and concern, to treat them equally, to be people oriented, sensitive and humane to address the issues of poverty, socioeconomic injustice, which is human oriented rather than profit oriented. Work should not become monotonous and a conclusion.
We are running for image status, which leads to impression of management, are we being honest with the needy and ourselves when we say we are doing for the benefit of the poor? Can we claim that our intensions are clear? Preoccupation of money, recognition, image which leads to take a break and ponder over where do we stand? What is development all about? Development is the key word around which the nongovernment agencies weave their activities like working for the poor, downtrodden, oppressed, and marginalized.
Where do we end up? In case we have lost our purpose, let us search where we have lost it, individual dream has become the dream of the community. The process of helping a group or a community of people to grow is not an easy task when they are spread over a vast area. Intellectually, mentally and spiritually, women are equivalent to male and she can participate in every activity. “As long as we don't consider girls as natural as our body, our nation will be in dark eclipse” Mahatma Gandhi. It is better to put out spark of fire rather than allowing it to spread and call the fire brigade later. Just as the color of a rainbow varies from one end to the other, the severity of disease varies. Write your own success story. Therefore, develop social consciousness among the masses. Intensify publicity, campaigns, enhancing child survivals, promotion of spacing methods.
Even though some books on community health are available, this book is unique and it will be an immense value to all those who work in social welfare programs and betterment of community. 10Welfare cannot be assured without respect for the dignity of each person, all are born free and has equal right and dignity, and no one shall be tortured, degraded and thus social transformation takes place.
The secret of happiness in life is well-being. If you have knowledge of prevention and cure, you will be healthy. In today's world of fast forward ultramodern lifestyle, fast food, modernization, unhealthy competition, tensions and stress at work of heavy responsibilities, unhealthy living conditions, environmental pollution and climatic change have increased diseases like diabetes and heart problem. Therefore, it is vital important in today's world to invest in health and create positive living habits. There are many books available, yet people continue to search better materials to satisfy their health needs. This book will give better understanding in the areas of integrated community development.
Virtue itself spreads the quality of the things. If a doctor is highly qualified and clients get well, his clients themselves make him famous. If the teacher is brilliant, his students will spread the fragrance of his deeds. In addition, all those who read this book will find something for self-help and they will spread the forum, as the flower does not need to keep a board, it will come from deep inside the forum and that is this book will do. Quality of the book is to transform a child into angel and so the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Good things come in small packages. A milestone and a stepping-stone. The book is like an onion, you peel it off one page at a time. Do not judge this book by its cover, there is a treasure in the broken vessel, dive deep into it and find the nectar at the core level.
From ancient age until today's modern age, human being has done tremendous progress in all the fields, hi tech, which is unimaginable. Yet if any part of the society is weak, its ripple effect is on whole society. Moreover, it prevents the development of the entire society. Development focuses of totality, as whole. Rural community health also has a lion's share in development process.
At the end of the each chapter, the relevant and appropriate photos are displayed which will enhance the reader to understand with clarity the subject matter better. The readers will get at one glance the clear concept such as women's health care, rural village set up, cancer, health education, tuberculosis, and so on.
The feel of the exact situation/location of the place is easily understood with the pictures, which will have long memory as it gets registers in the mind more easily and readers can understand the concept better. Photographs help the community to come to the classroom. It promotes correlation of information. Photographs are nearer to reality and give valuable association which promote in self-learning.
Every teacher has his/her own unique way of approaching the topic and preparing the subject. Some are born teachers who possess the ability and mastery over the subject, which just flows to capture the complete attention of the group, this is the art and skill of teaching through photographs, which I am sure, will help to enrich the subjects enabling the readers to transform. Poor are the burning bush. We must take off our sandals as we approach the poor because God resides in them.
As the author explains in the script the rural mindset, this book is specially dedicated to the poor, as living God resides in them. May this book be a blessing to all who read it.
Cecy Correia