Author Question: Different approaches may be taken to family nursing practice. When the nurse is caring for a patient ... (Read 29 times)

bobbie · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

Different approaches may be taken to family nursing practice. When the nurse is caring for a patient who needs constant care in the home setting and for whom most of the care is provided by the patient's family, what is the best approach for the nurse to

a. Family as context
b. Family as patient
c. Family as system
d. Patient as individual

Question 2

A husband brings his children in to visit their mother in the hospital. The nurse asks how the family is getting along at home without their mom around.

The husband states, None of her jobs are getting done, and I don't do those jobs, so the house and the kids are falling apart. The nurse suspects that this family structure is
a. Very flexible.
b. Quite rigid.
c. Extremely open.
d. Hardy.

ngr69 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
The newest model, called family as system includes both relational and transactional concepts. If only one family member receives nursing care, it is realistic and practical to view the family as context. When all family members are involved in the daily care of one another, the family as patient is the best approach. Although theoretical and practical distinctions have been noted between family as context and family as patient, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Often, the nurse will use the two simultaneously, such as with the perspective of the family as system. Family nursing is based on the assumption that all people are members of some type of family form.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
A rigid structure specifically dictates who is able to accomplish a task and may limit the number of people outside the immediate family who assume these tasks. An extremely open or very flexible structure also presents problems for the family in that consistent patterns of behavior do not exist, and enactment of roles is overly flexible. Hardiness is the internal strength and durability of the family unit characterized by a sense of control over the outcome of life and an active rather than passive orientation in adapting to stressful events.