Family Health Care Nursing Concepts

This assignment delves into crucial aspects of family health care nursing. It examines the utilization of genograms and ecomaps for comprehensive family assessments, highlights the significance of fostering therapeutic nurse-patient relationships, and discusses the screening and treatment of postpartum depression in maternity clinics. Additionally, the role of family history tools in primary care is explored.

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GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY QLD 4111
Please complete all sections below DATE RECEIVED:
Course Code: 2978 NRS
Course Name: CHILD AND FAMILY NURSING
Due Date: 7/9/2015 Assessment Item: Essay
Enrolment: Off Campus On Campus
Campus (Enrolled) Nathan GC Logan Mt G SB
Course Tutor: CREINA MITCHELL
Course Convenor: CREINA MITCHELL
Please provide your STUDENT NUMBER: s2917964
Student Name: Soyal Peter
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1
Student Name: Soyal Peter
Essay title: Family Assessment
Word count: 2178 words (excluding title page and reference list)
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The family is considered to be a significant unit for people in a particular society. A family
bonds people together and also acts as a porter amongst individuals and their traditions,
customers and cultural belonging. Health is the main component that bears much impact
whether positive or negative towards the setting of a family. Due to the growing concern,
family nursing is taken seriously as a profession. Family nursing plays a great role in the
implementation of the recent innovation in house care departments and hence reducing the
threatening risks to the growth and development of families (Sittner, Hudson & Defrain,
2007). Nursing at family level focuses mainly on the mental and physical well-being of all
family members including young children. There are relevant family principles which include
active listening, focused family approach, intensive inspection and finally holding a real
affinity with the household. Moreover, sourcing from the existing materials, family nursing
activities and services should be practical. According to (Sittner, Hudson & Defrain, 2007),
family nursing activities should be administered without any discrimination as they determine
the well-being of the household.
The four outlined principles when it comes to the family are first to give a real view whereby
the individual is in the foreground, and their family forms the background. The second
approach is the vice versa whereby the family gets in the front and the person in the
background. Thirdly, these principles also consider a family unit as ground whereby family
members freely interact to strengthen their bond. Finally, the existence of family is seen as
the preservation of social order by controlling the aspects of health, religion, and finances as
well (Hanson, 2005). The three treatment concepts of kin assessment are the acknowledgment
of troubles; which are meant to provide advice, strength and also try to resolve the problems
that come with family. (Sittner, Hudson & Defrain, 2007). Family nursing evaluation usually
focuses on finding out how the different family members can protect the health of the other
individuals in the family. On a more important note, the family nursing theories that are

mainly based on sociology involve functional, structural, historical and family interactional
approaches and many others which should be followed in any family health care assessment.
The required roles of a family nurse in this evaluation are fundamental since their knowledge
and confidence play a big role in their delivery. The registered nurses are the most dedicated
health professionals who do the most significant part of interacting with patients. They
should, therefore, poses proper communication skills, patient education as well as active
listening to make a positive impact on the patient and their family as well. Nurses are also
gifted with the role and responsibility of fulfilling the patient’s emotional and spiritual needs.
It is therefore good for the public to realize that nurse play a great role in the health care
services and therefore give them the appreciation they deserve (Pullen & Mathias, 2010). In
the overall assessment of family nursing, good nurse-patient relationship, respect, proper
communication skills, patient education and centrally focused attention on the household are
seen to be the key points.
The family estimation instrument is taken to be one of the crucial aspects of family nursing as
it can determine the existing genetic interference as well as family history which all affect the
well-being and health aspects of a family. There are many available resources that can be
used to access family history. Among them all, genogram is considered to be the best
evaluation tool in the context of Mr. and Mrs. Steven’s family. A genogram is a family
measurement device whose symbolic representation resembles a family tree that is used to
analyze relationship and family history. Monica McGoldrick in association with Randy
Gerson discovered the genogram in 1985 (Wright & Leahey, 2012). It can be taken as a
predominantly visual representation of family history while putting into consideration the
aspects of sexuality, gender, health and psychosocial status of the individuals involved. A
genogram is considered as “bio-psycho-social type of family tree” whose primary role is to
distinguish the different family situations as well as the psychosocial distress. It also provides
a summarized history of a family which includes different generations of the children, their
parents and grandparents as well. The tool has applied by specialists and emerged as one of
the simplest and most efficient evaluation tool (Wilson et al., 2012). It resembles the family
tree, but they differ as Genogram provides the relevant information to help an audience

identify the different views of genetics and family history as well. It is therefore beneficial as
health professionals use it to get information that shows the risk of future illnesses transferred
through genetic like heart disease and diabetes. Genogram can also be used by doctors to
identify the link between family history and generational scale. The information can be useful
in consideration of events like marriage, twin births, illnesses, and death.
Genogram also facilitates the duties of the health professional by providing social background
which can be used to identify family problems. More so, the tool also enables an individual to
understand the family values and dynamics (Rempel, Neufeld & Kushner, 2010). Health
professionals might also use genograms in the process of psychological counseling to deal
with sexual intimacy. Moreover, a genogram could accustom the professionals with family
unit pattern (olden times of nuclear kin), existence sequence guide (migrated or immigrated)
and significant life proceedings (suicide attempts). The genogram tool would efficient for
Mr. and Mrs. Bensons family since they have faced a history of divorce, abortion, pelvic
inflammatory disease, postnatal depression and financial difficulties. Figure 1.1 represents the
genogram for the family of Mr. and Mrs. Steven family.
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Sam 59 Marion 52 Henry Mavis
52
Hanna StevenBarry Billy 5
36 26
Newborn
Daughter
MALE CHILD
FEMALES TWINS
ABOTION DIVORCED
FIGURE 1.1 Genogram illustration of Mr Steven’s family
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However, all the advantages associated with the genogram tool of family assessment, it is not
trusted to provide the most accurate information. Researchers and experts state that the
accuracy of the genogram tool is determined by the memory and perspective of its developer.
For instance: if the individual responsible for creating the device is not well informed on all
the relationships existing in the family, then the doctors involved might miss out on valuable
information (Kennedy, 2010). Secondly, it was only able to provide information on a few
generations of a family which means that there are restrictions when it comes to learning
about the genetic history concerning illnesses. Therefore the major issues concerning
genogram are its reliability and the ability to provide a broad range of information that can
give insights on family history (Kennedy, 2010). However looking at both sides, genogram
has more advantages as compared to its disadvantages and therefore can be a useful tool in
examining the case of Mr. and Mrs. Steven’s family.
Postpartum depression is a condition whose most victims are usually at child birth. The
assessment of Mr. Steven’s family indicates that Hanna’s mother, Marion, suffered from Post
natal depression after delivering Hanna. Considering the maternal she is currently facing, she
is also at a great risk of suffering from the condition. Research shows that approximately 13%
of mothers are likely to suffer from post natal depression mainly due to psychological and
hormonal changes (Kuosmomen, Vuorilehto & Melartin, 2010). A history of the disease,
absence of Providence of social life, marital problems, miscarriages or infertility, low income,
physical movement from places of residence and to a great extent self-esteem issues might
put one at a risk of contacting post natal depression. Hanna is therefore at a significant risk as
she has genetic linkage to post natal depression, she also has problems with fertility or
conception and moved to a new environment in the last few months.
It is seven s2917964 determined that suffering from motherly post natal depression creates a
high risk of the offspring who might also face the same complications. The primary
symptoms of this complication include quick anger, loss of appetite and concentration,
insomnia and anxiety. The depression can also affect a mother’s ability to effectively

communicate with their child as well as negative breast feeding according to (Fitelson, Kim,
Baker & Leight, 2011). It is, therefore, a challenge to family nursing service as early
detection and appropriate treatment can help prevent all these adverse effects from the
complication. The major responsibility of the nurse is to provide all the necessary counseling,
education, and social support and also be able to appropriately communicate with the patient,
who is Hanna in this case. During the treatment period, the medical professional is expected
to regulate the patterns of treatments and also communication with the patient. Research
suggests that talking therapy is a powerful tool whereby the patient holds a conversation with
a professional as it helps victims to deal with post natal depression (Fitelson, Kim, Baker &
Leight, 2011). The RN is usually advised to refer their patients to a psychotherapist to equip
the patient with interpersonal therapy. However, the two primary elements of treatment
include self-management and active support whereby problems are identified and solved as
well. After birth, the nurse should propose some helpful; tips like healthy eating and physical
exercise which helps in maintaining the post birth body. Therefore, counseling and therapy
sessions, healthy diet and exercise, emotional and social support are the most important goals
to consider for post natal depressed women (Fitelson, Kim, Baker & Leight, 2011).
Family nursing should also put into consideration the issue of breastfeeding since Hanna is at
the level where her newborn child, depend on breast milk for at least six months. 8 s2917964
Breast milk so far the most appropriate source of nutrition for new born babies due to its
composition of all types of vitamins and minerals. Soon after delivery, the mother’s breasts
usually produces some yellowish fluids called colostrums, and they provide immunity to the
baby as they are rich in antibodies and proteins. (Conde, et.al, 2015). Although this important
activity in the life of a mother might be limited due to cases of the job, certain stages in post
natal depression and many other difficulties. Nurses should emphasize on educating their
parent patients on the importance of breastfeeding their children as they reduce diarrhea and
gastroenteritis which might lead to serious illnesses (Conde et al., 2015). Furthermore,
research suggests that breast milk’s high contents of IGA and cytokine reduce the danger of
necrotizing colitis. Children benefit even more from breastfeeding as they are unlikely to get
leukemia and sudden mortality syndrome in children (Salone, Vann & Dee, 2013). In a more

interesting fact mothers also benefit a lot from breastfeeding as their chances of illnesses
reduce by a great range. Through breastfeeding, the cases of breast cancer reduce since there
is the minimal experience of estrogen as a result of the removal of breast fluid and deferred
ministration. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and hemorrhage hence
considered beneficial for both the mother and the child (Salone, Vann & Dee, 2013). Thus it
is significant to breastfeed a baby for one year after delivery.
According to American Academy of Paediatrics, For proper growth and development, any
infant should be breastfed for six months supplementary foods should follow until a year, as
stated by American pediatrics academy. As for Hanna, she has a serious financial restriction
to the extent that she needs to go back after six months. Thus nurture goal to9 s2917964 gives
her different techniques to provide the best breastfeeding services to her baby (Eidelman et
al., 2012). Dealing with a young one is usually challenging but it requires proper strategies
while determining the breastfeeding positions. The nurse should, therefore, teach Hanna on
the different positions including the “twin football hold” a baby is allowed to lie down while
the mother holds their head. There is also the “twin cross cradle position” in which a baby
will rest on their mother’s arm under the elbow. It can also be done by the combination of
both positions and wrong positions might lead to sores and infection of the mother’s breast.
Hanna, therefore, has a broad range of situation to choose from and adopt the most
comfortable in her case. Finally, Hanna should also be advised to avoid all types of stress and
practice a healthy nutrition to enhance her milk production and her life in general. (Eidelman,
et al.,2012)
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References
Colodro-Conde, L., Zhu, G., Power, R. A., Henders, A., Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A., ... &
Martin, N. G. (2015). A Twin Study of Breastfeeding With a Preliminary Genome-
Wide Association Scan. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 18(1), 61-72.
doi:10.1017/thg.2014.74.
Eidelman, A. I., Schanler, R. J., Johnston, M., Landers, S., Noble, L., Szucs, K., &
Viehmann, L. (2012). Breastfeeding and the use of human milk.Pediatrics, 129(3),
827-841. doi:10.1542/PEDS.2011-3552
Fitelson, E., Kim, S., Baker, A. S., & Leight, K. (2011). Treatment of postpartum depression:
clinical, psychological and pharmacological options. International journal of women's
health, 3(1), 1-14. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S6938
Hanson, S. M. H. (2005). Family health care nursing: an introduction. Family health care
nursing. Third ed. Philadelphia: FA Davis, 3-37.
Kennedy, V. (2010). Genograms. MAI Review. 3, 1-12.
Kuosmanen, L., Vuorilehto, M., Kumpuniemi, S., & Melartin, T. (2010). Post‐natal
depression screening and treatment in maternity and child health clinics.Journal of
psychiatric and mental health nursing, 17(6), 554-557. 10.1111/j.1365-
2850.2010.01578.x
Pullen, R., & Mathias, T. (2010). Fostering therapeutic nurse-patient relationships.
Nursing made incredibly easy. 1-4.
Rempel, G., Neufeld, A., & Kushner, K. (2010). Interactive Use of Genograms and
Ecomaps in Family Caregiving Research. Journal of family Nursing. 13(4), 403-419.
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Salone, L. R., Vann, W. F., & Dee, D. L. (2013). Breastfeeding: an overview of oral and
general health benefits. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 144(2),
143-151.Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14219/jada.archive.2013.0093
Sittner, B. J., Hudson, D. B., & Defrain, J. (2007). Using the concept of family strengths to
enhance nursing care. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 32(6),
353-357. doi:10.1097/01.NMC.0000298130.16914.47
Wilson, B. J., Carroll, J. C., Allanson, J., Little, J., Etchegary, H., Avard, D., ... &
Chakraborty, P. (2012). Family history tools in primary care: does one size
fit all?. Public health genomics, 15(3-4), 181-188. doi:10.1159/000336431
Wright, L. M., & Leahey, M. (2012). Nurses and families: A guide to family assessment
and intervention. FA Davis.
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