Nursing

The word Nursing comes from the Latin word "nutrix" meaning to "nourish or cherish"

Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.

Nursing Definition

Florence Nightingale “The act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery" (Nightingale, 1860). Nightingale considered a clean, well-ventilated, and quite.
Verginia Henderson "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death)".
"Nursing is a dynamic, caring, helping relationship in which the nurse assist the client to achieve and obtain optimal health. [According to Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
Nurses Association (ANA) " Nursings is defined as a direct service, goal directed, and adaptable to the needs of the individual, the family, and the community during health and illness" (ANA, 1973).
The use of clinical judgment in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death.(Royal College of Nursing (2003))

Concept of Nursing according to Virginia Henderson -

1. Nursing - Nursing is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performances of those activities contributing to health or its recovery, preventing disease or peaceful death.

2. Health - Health is a quality of life it is basic to human functioning, it requires independence and interdependence.

3. Environment-Healthy individual may be able to control their environment, but illness may interfere with that ability.

4. Patient -She viewed patient as an individual who requires assistance to achieve healthy and independence or peaceful death the mind and body are inseparable.

Purposes-

To maintain and promote health.
To prevent illness.
To assist recovery
To meet needs.
To restoration of health.
To reduce stress.
To improve quality of life.
To maintain well-being.
To develop interaction between nurse and clients.
To facilitate independence.
To provide service to individual families and societies.
To care of clients.

Aims/Objectives of Nursing -

Four broad aims/objectives of nursing practice can be identified in the definition of nursing-

To promotion of health
To prevention of illness
To restoration of health
To facilitating coping with disability or death

1. Promotion of health-

Health promotion is a framework for nursing activities. Health is a state of well-being. Nurse considers patient's self awareness, health awareness and use of resources while providing care through knowledge and skill. Promote health is facilitating that enhance the quality of life.

2. Prevention of illness -

The goal of illness prevention activities are to reduce the risk for illness, to promote good health habits and to maintain optimal functioning. Nurse prevents illness primarily by teaching, which includes educational programmes for promoting healthy habits.

3. Restoration of health-

Focus on the individual with an illness and range from early detection of disease for rehabilitation and teaching during recovery. Promoting diagnostic measurements for early detection of disease and providing direct care to the ill person.

4. Facilitating coping with disability and death- Altered function decreases an individual's ability to carry out activities of daily living and the expected role. Nurses facilitate patient and family coping with altered function, life crisis and death.

Principles of Nursing-

Nursing Principles:-

1. Safety -

It means prevention of mechanical, thermal and chemical injuries to the client and the workers. E.g. While giving a hot water bottle, the temperature of the water should be checked. The bottle should be covered and prevent burns.

2. Comfort:-

Gives comfortable position to the patient. Comfort gives satisfaction to the client and the workes. E.g. Before and after procedure the client should be left in a comfortable position.

3.Therapeutic Effectiveness-

It is to achieve the purpose for which a procedure is done. E.g. :- Observe the effect of therapies to the patient.

4.Use of Resources-

It implies the right use and the economy of time, energy and material.

5.Good Workmanship :-

It is an art and skill while giving treatment. Practice of procedures repeatedly develops the skill.

6. Individuality :-

The needs and problems of a particular client are to be considered. When a nursing procedure is applied, the client is considered as an individual.

B. Scientific Principles :-

Microbiology
Anatomy and Physiology
Chemistry
Psychology
Physics
Sociology

Scope of Nursing

1. Staff Nurse- A staff nurse provide direct patient care to or a group of patients. Assists ward management and supervision. Directly responsible to the ward supervisor.

2. Ward sister or Nursing supervisor-Responsible to the nursing superintendent for the nursing care management of a ward or unit. Takes full charge of the ward. Assigns work to nursing and non-nursing poersonnel working in the ward.

3. Department supervisor/Assistant nursing superintendent- It is responsbile to the nursing superintendent and deputy nursing superintendent for the nursing care and management of more than one ward or unit.

4. Deputy nursing superintendent- It responsible to the nursing superintendent and assists in the nursing administration of the hospital.

5. Nursing superintendent-It responsible to the medical superintendent for safe and efficient management of hospital nursing services.

6. Director of nursing- It responsible for both nursing service and nursing education within a teaching hospital.

7. Community Health nursing- It services focus on the reproductive child health program.

8. Teaching of nursing-The functions and responsibilities of the nursing instructor include planning, teaching and supervising the learning experiences for students. Positions in nursing education include clinical instructor, tutor, senior tutor, lecturer, and associate professor in nursing.

9. Industrial nurses- It provide first aid, care during illness, health education about industrial hazards and prevention of accidents.

10. Military nursing service- It become the part of the Indian army, nurses become commissioned officers who earned ranks from lieutenant to major general.

11. Nursing service in abroad-Nursing service in abroad, salaries and professional opportunities have led to increases in

nursing service abroad.

12. Nursing services administrative positions -At the state level the deputy director of nursing at the state health directorate. The highest administrative position on a national level is the nursing to the govt. of India.

13. Other's

Service Education Director
Clinical Nurse specialist
Nurse Anaesthetist
Nurse-researcher
Private duty nurse