History Of Community Nursing Matrix

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Historical time period Nursing role in community Major health issues Partnerships used Watson’s theory Past Period 1 (Stanhope and Lancaster, p. 24-25) Early American settlement period: 18th Century-early 19th Century. -Initially, the responsibility of caring for the poor and sick belonged to household members but then became the responsibility of the local township or county government. The latter tradition was brought over from England and was based on the Elizabethan Poor Law, which stated the poor and sick were guaranteed medical care for the locals of each area. The Federal government’s involvement was limited to protecting seamen near the seacoast cities to prevent epidemics from spreading. Care for the ill was very basic and occurred at home, most often given by the female head of the family. Duties ranged from assisting with childbirth to growing and gathering the supplies (herbs) used for treatments. The role of “nurses” during this time focused on providing emotional support and comfort. Treatment was limited to herbal remedies. In the early 1800’s, care provided by charitable groups, most often churches, began in localized areas. Women from churches went into people’s homes to provide care, just as visiting nurses do today. The major health issues of this period included: poor sanitation, untrained caregivers, lack of knowledge for disease prevention, and epidemics. Preventable communicable diseases of that time included: yellow fever, smallpox, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and malaria. Few hospitals existed and the ones that did were unsanitary and had poorly trained staff. While there was a lack of a main governing organization for health care, settlers relied on their local government for assistance. After the American Revolution, boards of health were established and public health committees monitored environmental issues, such as
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