Analysis of Maternal and Child Health Case Study: Zac's Case

This case study centers on Zac, a 4-year-old, and his father's concerns about his development, highlighting the role of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurses. It explores the nurses' responsibilities, from assessing milestones to providing family support, and addresses potential challenges in gathering information from children. The assignment outlines the importance of regular check-ups, assessing motor, language, problem-solving, and psychosocial skills. It also evaluates the effectiveness of MCH interventions, referencing a case study from Papua New Guinea and emphasizing the importance of tailored advice and family-focused services. The conclusion underscores the significance of MCH nurses in promoting children's well-being, with examples from Hong Kong highlighting the impact of improved services on reducing infant and maternal mortality rates.

Running head: MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
Maternal and child health
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note

1MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
Introduction
The case study is based on Zac, a 4-year-old kid. It has been mentioned in the case study
that Leroy is the father of Zac and he has stated some problems that the kid is facing during his
development. Even though Zac was a normal and happy kid and reached all the milestones
successfully but there were some concerns about him.
This case study was chosen because it will be able to portray the role of maternal and
child health (MCH) nurses properly. Leroy visited the community health centre for the first time
so he was curious about the role played by the nurses.
Question 1
The maternity and child health (MCH) nurses play variety of roles starting from family
planning to child education and health (Dykes & Flacking, 2016). The nurses interact with the
children and their parents to know about the concern that they are facing.
In the given case study of Zack, Leroy was enquired by the nurses at the centre about any
family issues that occurred in the recent time. There can be any issue within the family or in the
surroundings, which poses negative impact on the kids. Leroy denied of any such occurrence.
The nurses at the centre thought of asking Zac individually about any problem that he might have
faced. With the improvement in maternal and child health systems, the nurses are paying more
attention to the children. Individual care is taken for the children’s emotional, physical,
developmental, scholastic and social needs (Haskew et al., 2015).
The improved care by the community nurses is also helping the families to overcome
their fears and anxiety about their kids. The parents have become more relaxed about their

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children’s physical and mental condition. Therefore, Leroy had considered bringing his son to
the service to share his concern about his son’s development. He was anxious because Zac used
to be a happy and normal kid and has completed all the milestones successfully. His concern was
taken seriously by the nurses and they wanted to interact with both of them individually.
However, the challenges that might be faced by the nurses are not getting appropriate
response from the 4- year- old kid (Huicho et al., 2016). Kids have a tendency to keep numb in
front of outsiders. In that case, the nurses will be unable to extract exact information from the
child.
Question 2
The maternal and child health services offer free visits to evaluate the child’s growth,
health and development at different ages. The parents are recommended to bring their children at
specific age to the service for assessment. The nurses are responsible for assessing the
milestones, health, growth and development by keeping an appropriate record.
It is important for the parents to carry their 4- year- old kids to the MCH nurses because
that is the most crucial part in the life of the children. The kids are assessed based on hearing and
vision at the age of four (Lu et al., 2015). It is also the time when the children start going to the
preparatory school and so they need to be developed properly at this stage. Another purpose of
visit for the children at the age of four is to protect them from different hazards and make them
aware about family relationships and well- being.
The MCH nurses have considered certain milestones for assessment of the children. The
primary milestones on which the assessment is based are motor development, language
development, problem solving and psychosocial skills. The nurses enquire the parents about the

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following factors- if the child is not talking clearly; if they are unable to talk in sentences; being
affectionate to the parents; showing interest in games; friendly with other children (Mustila et al.,
2018). These are some of the factors used by the nurses to gauge the development of the
children. If either of these milestones are not functioning then that is considered as a concern.
At the age of four, the tendency of the children is to reach out for different objects and
use more than three words in their oral sentences.
Question 3
MCH nurses can be a good intervention for the children only if they can provide the
appropriate advice to the children and their parents. As per Psaila et al., (2014) a case study
review of the Papua New Guinea has described about infant nutrition and family planning
education components. In this case, six clinic teams were observed and the interaction between
the mothers and the nurses were recorded. In less than ten minutes, the session was over where
hardly any advice on family planning was given. Thus, it can be evaluated that the MCH nurses
are not always a good intervention as there is lack of supervision sometimes and not much
attention is paid to nutrition and family planning (Tuominen et al., 2014). The service would
have been more effective if the tasks were more problem oriented and dealt with families rather
than individuals.
There are modifications taking place in the MCH community service, which has
improved the physical and mental health of children. The nurses are playing a major role in the
maintenance, promotion and restoration of children’s health and well- being. Psaila et al., (2014)
has stated that the maternal and child health service in Hong Kong has undergone a prominent
development in the recent days. More maternity homes and centers are emerging due to the

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increase in population, which has contributed to a significant decrease in infant mortality rate
and maternal mortality rate. Thus, the intervention by the MCH has proved to be effective by
improving the health condition of mothers and children.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the maternity and child health (MCH) nurses have played a role
in the case of Zack by pointing out the importance of bringing the 4- year- old kids to the
community service. The milestones of assessment by the nurses were mentioned in this paper. A
case of Papua new Guinea was discussed to shed light on the ineffectiveness of the nurses in
family planning and lack of attention on the children.

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