SCENARIO:

Michael Luna who works as a community health nurse in his suburban community in La
Union. He visits 7-10 clients each day. On today’s visitations, Michael will provide care
for four clients who are recovering from Tuberculosis and three clients who are
recovering from Diabetes (increase blood sugar level), and he will provide oral
antibiotics for a man with an infected wound.
Among this list of clients, Michael visits Mrs. T., an 87-year-old white woman who lives
alone and is recovering Tuberculosis that she experienced coughing for almost 3
months ago. Michael’s goals are to check on her recovery progress, reminding her
medications in her weekly medication container, and administer an influenza vaccine.
Upon entering Mrs. T.’s small house, Michael finds the house in disarray: clothes are
scattered about, dirty dishes with crusted food line the kitchen counters, and no lights
are on. Michael finds Mrs. T. lying in bed watching television. Mrs. T. complains to
Michael of feeling too tired to do anything; she eats only what is already prepared (e.g.,
frozen dinners or snack foods like potato chips and cup noodles) because cooking
requires too much effort. She spends most of her days lying in bed and has not bathed
in a week.
Michael helps Mrs. T. out of bed and assists her with a bath. After the bath, Michael
fixes Mrs. T. a quick lunch and refills her medication box while she eats. Michael
encourages Mrs. T. to start getting some exercise by doing the household chores so
that her lungs can get stronger. “The stronger your lung is, the more energy you will
have,” Michael tells Mrs. T. Michael also enlists several services for Mrs. T.: A barangay
health worker will come to the house three times a week to help Mrs. T. bathe, and
meals will provide by the Barangay Nutrition Scholar that will bring her breakfast and
lunch. Finally, Nurse Michael administers the influenza vaccine.
During Nurse Michael’s visit the following week, Mrs. T. is showing improvement.
She tells Michael, “I just love that Barangay Health Worker who comes to help me; she
is just so sweet and kind. And the Barangay Nutrition Scholar is a blessing, I now have
more energy to keep this place clean the way I like it.”
1. What challenges in the role and responsibilities of Nurse Michael face in his first visit
with Mrs. T. that a community health nurse (CHNs) Nurse Michael faced?
2. From your knowledge about the public health nursing, compare an example of care
displayed by nurses of the past versus to the current activities of Nurse Michael made to
Mrs. T.
3. How do the Roles and Responsibilities of Nurse Michael affect the health of Mrs. T?
4. What other health promotion activities besides Nurse Michael prepare to Mrs. T that
will improve her health?