Family Strengths Assessment: Benefits for Clinical Healthcare Practice

This report examines the benefits of family strengths assessments in clinical healthcare practice, focusing on the Australian Family Strengths Nursing Assessment Guide (AFSNAG). It highlights how the AFSNAG, with its nine components, facilitates discussions between nurses, patients, and families, providing a clearer understanding of family dynamics and individual needs. The assessment allows families to share their stories, promoting tailored care plans and enhancing family resilience. The report references Smith and Ford (2013) and Gottlieb (2013), emphasizing the positive impact of this approach on both nurses and families, including improved problem-solving and overall well-being. Nurses have praised the AFSNAG for its ability to focus on strengths rather than negatives, leading to more effective and patient-centered care.

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BENEFITS A FAMILY STRENGTHS ASSESSMENT CAN HAVE FOR CLINICAL
(HEALTHCARE) PRACTICE AND PROMOTING FAMILY HEALTH
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BENEFITS A FAMILY STRENGTHS ASSESSMENT CAN HAVE FOR CLINICAL
(HEALTHCARE) PRACTICE AND PROMOTING FAMILY HEALTH
The Australian Family Strengths Nursing Assessment Guide contains nine components
which are: affection, acceptance, togetherness, support, communication, commitment, resilience,
sharing activities and spiritual well-being (Smith & Ford 2013, Table 5.1, pp. 101-102); also,
depends on the qualities based care idea where the nurse enables the patient and family to get
solutions (Gottlieb 2013).
The Australian Family Strengths Nursing Assessment Guide (AFSNAG) is useful in that
it allows the medical attendant to animate a discussion with the patient and family over each of
the segments (Smith and Ford 2013). Each of the characteristics of family qualities gives the
nurse who is directing the evaluation with a more clear comprehension of the way a family
works (Smith and Ford 2013); it reveals how a wellbeing condition is influencing the distinctive
relatives and features their individual needs (Smith and Ford 2013).
Albeit every family is novel and has their particular traditions, qualities and convictions,
the AFSNA questions have been skillfully created and are open-ended; they are composed in a
way that incorporates the entire family (Smith and Ford 2013). For instance, 'When does the
family get to know each other?' (Smith and Ford 2013, pp. 101) or, 'What diverse obligations do
each of you have?' (Smith and Ford 2013, pp. 101). It enables the relatives to recount their story
in their own particular words and the way they see things. A huge advantage of the inquiries is
that they can be adjusted to suit the conditions of the patient or potentially their family (Power,
2003).
Every individual is influenced by a circumstance unexpectedly, especially when an
impromptu emergency happens that they are not ready. From listening to the family's story, the

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nurse acquires a superior knowledge into the household and can watch how each of the relatives
adapts (Gottlieb 2013). Recognizing the family's qualities and seeing how the family adapts is
worthwhile to both the medical attendant and the family since changes in the way the family
capacities can be started to expand their versatility (Patterson, referred to in Smith and Ford
2013).
Enlisted nurses in Australia who have utilized the AFSNA tool in their clinical practice
have lauded it (Smith and Ford 2013, p. 103). One nurse commented that it was 'reviving' to
investigate the positive qualities of an individual and additionally their family as opposed to
concentrating on the negatives (Smith and Ford 2013, p. 103). The nurse explained more on the
advantages of the device expressing that it empowered families to solve problems by building up
their qualities and objectives (Barnes et al. (n.d.).
After the nurse has finished the appraisal, they can utilize the data accumulated from the
patient and family to start setting up a care arrange for that meets the family's specific needs. The
family will likewise have profited from being effectively associated with their particular social
insurance and have their voices heard. Smith and Ford (2013) see the intelligent discussions
between the nurse and the family as used because it advances 'ideal formative wellbeing and
prosperity for each other' (Smith and Ford 2013, p. 102).

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References
Barnes, M., Rowe, J., & Smith, LM. & Ford, K. (n.d.). Family strengths and the Australian
Family Strengths Nursing Assessment Guide. Elsevier.
Gottlieb, L. (2013). Strengths-based nursing care: health and healing for person and family.
New York, Springer Publishing Company.
Power, T. J. (2003). Promoting children's health: integrating school, family, and community.
New York, Guilford Press.
Smith, LM. & Ford, K (2013). Conducting a family strengths assessment using the Australian
Family Strengths nursing assessment guide. University of Tasmania.