Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level
There are many primary health care organizations in the United States. These organizations play a critical role in improvement of the nation’s health because of their “ability to drive practice trends, set standards, and influence smaller practices by sharing information, resources, and guidelines” Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level
Primary healthcare is considered to be an essential part of the health service that is based on delivery from the community environment. Some primary health care organizations are presented in the form of medical centers and family health centers, while there are also family doctors that operate individually.
Two organizations that deliver primary healthcare on the regional level are Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians, Inc. and Children’s Primary Care Medical Group. Based on research, both organizations are focused on provision of primary care services, but they serve different populations. Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians, Inc. which is located in Westerville, Ohio serves both children and adults, while Children’s Primary Care Medical Group which is located in San Diego, California serves only children. The services provided by Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians, Inc. include Asthma Education, Cardiac Testing, COPD Management, Imaging (Radiology), Diabetes Management, Laboratory Services, Physical Therapy and Smoking Cessation (Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians, Inc.). The services provided by Children’s Primary Care Medical Group include outpatient medical treatment services, medical follow-ups after the patient’s discharge from the health care facility, Immunization, health screening, health education, diagnostic services and pharmaceutical services (Children’s Primary Care Medical Group). The sources of funding are non-governmental. Primary care is provided mainly by private physicians. In other words, financing of primary health care may include either personal payment at the time of the delivery of service to the patient or through health insurance. In the second case, prepayment is made by the employer and employee at the workplace.Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level
Evaluating the services for the individuals and families in the community, it is possible to determine several factors that influence the quality of health care services. There are different services provided for the individuals and families in the community. The adoption and implementation of various programs and activities aimed at assisting individuals and families in responding to different health related problems allow to enhance connection with community. Currently, there are many services provided to families in the community. For example, Family Support Services are provided to families that need to improve family relations, parenting support and develop the proper skills to enhance the well-being of their children. The fact that Family Support Services are community-based services means that parents receive community support in performance of their role as caregivers. Besides, Family Support Programs are developed to address not only the needs of the general population, but also the needs of particular groups, including ethnic groups, cultural minorities, kinship caregivers and parents mental health problems (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2018).
Considering political strategies and potential policies, it is necessary to determine how they influence the role of the nurse. Political strategies affect the role of the nurse in different ways because of the dependence on public health related policies adopted by the federal government and state and local governments. Actually, “the massive organizational changes occurring in the health delivery system present a unique opportunity to establish new roles for nurse leaders who are prepared to think in population terms” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013, p. 18). As a result, nurses are interested in implementing political strategies to contribute to certain improvements in health related policies. Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level
Also, comparing the three levels of prevention, it is important to determine how they influence the nurse’s role. Three levels of prevention in community health include primary prevention, secondary prevention and tertiary prevention. In fact, these level of prevention of health related problems affect the types of community health practices selected by nurses. Primary prevention is aimed at taking the proper measures to prevent occurrence of diseases, such as vaccinations, teaching elderly people to avoid falls, explaining healthy lifestyles to the youth (Allender et al., 2017). Secondary prevention is aimed at making efforts to identity and treat health problems, such as hypertension control programs and cholinesterase screening programs (Allender et al., 2017). Tertiary prevention is aimed at reduction of severity of the identified health problems. The major goal is to minimize disability of people in the community. There are different types of programs that ensure tertiary prevention, including rehabilitation programs for people with diabetes and heart diseases, fitness programs for people of all age groups (Allender et al., 2017). The above mentioned levels of prevention of health related problems influence the nurse’s role because nurses need to select the proper activities and methods to achieve the established prevention goals. In addition, they need to conduct health assessment of people in order to determine the level of prevention. According to Allender et al. (2017), “health problems are most effectively prevented by maintenance of healthy lifestyles and healthy environments” (p. 18). Hence, nurse’s roles can be modified to address the needs of population through community health practices.Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level
Nurses should be focused on initiating educational practices to ensure that each individual is aware of the need to improve his/her health. As a rule, nurses adapt their roles to changing environment, placing emphasis on promotion of physical fitness and nutritional and wellness activities. Due to application of professional skills, knowledge and experience, nurses can deal with health problems faced by communities effectively. They should also consider environmental factors that may aggregate community health.Delivering Primary Healthcare on Local Level