Community Resources and Social Problems

No. 20 To use community resources as an aid in resolving problems arising from illness

By: Melissa Parrenas

Community resources may be of various forms. They can be healthcare professionals that are living within the vicinity. We can have neighbors who are registered nurses, physicians, midwives or medical technologists who can answer to our queries. As we are familiar to medical facts and figures, we are taught even as students to be of service not only in the institutions or clinics that we are currently working with, but most of all we should be of service to the community that we are living within. This can go from the simplest by answering queries of the normal laboratories, giving first aids or helping in any emergency cases, to the more complex or long-term like being involved in civil organizations who organize activities such as medical missions, symposiums about health-related issues and other advocacies or campaigns.

We can also be of help to those patients who are already discharged from the hospital but needs continuing nursing interventions. Such example is when the son of my eldest sister was born but had Rh incompatibility(I was not a registered nurse yet that time), one of my sister’s bestfriends who is a senior nurse, visited my nephew once a day to inject his continuing antibiotic through heplock, until the duration of medication was done.

Doctors also do their part when the need arises. When my tito had an acute hemorrhage on his right tempo-parietal area, craniotomy is no longer a guarantee that he will be back to normal since it was already on his 12th day from. When his fever went down and was discharged from the hospital and was brought home, he had loss of appetite that he eats a little by mouth and refuses to eat after a few sips of broth or milk. This resulted to more bedsores and low BP. He was also drowsy and was weak on the left side making him at risk for aspiration. We then decided that he will be feed through nasogastric tube in order to supply his daily state of nutritional needs. We then requested a family friend physician to insert the ngt and she accommodated our request.

We also have herbal plants in our backyards that can be used as alternative medicines. There are 10 medicinal plants that are approved by DOH. There’s Akapulko  to treat ringworms and skin fungal infections, Ampalaya  treatment of diabetes (diabetes mellitus), for the non-insulin dependent patients, Bawang which reduces cholesterol in the blood and hence, helps control blood pressure, Bayabas  primarily used as an antiseptic, to disinfect wounds. Also, it can be used as a mouth wash to treat tooth decay and gum infection. We also have Lagundi  for the relief of coughs and asthma, Niyog-niyogan effective in the elimination of intestinal worms, Sambong which is diuretic that helps in the excretion of urinary stones and to relieve edema, Tsaang Gubat which is effective in treating intestinal motility and also used as a mouth wash since the leaves of this shrub has high fluoride content, Ulasimang Bato or Pansit-Pansitan for fighting arthritis and gout and lastly Yerba Buena used as analgesic to relieve body aches and pain.

Most importantly, we have our Main Rural Health Units in our towns and Barangay Health units in the countryside, who have healthcare professionals working on duty to provide health services to the people especially the poor and the indigents. Generally, we have a Municipal Health officer who is usually a doctor who also conducts daily consultations. The head of the facility gives out free medicines that are available in the center and sign pertinent medical or death certificates. We also have nurses who take charge of some programs such as DOTS for TB categorized patients. There is another nurse in charge of dispensing of vaccines for the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI), for animal bites patients and free pneumonia and flu vaccines for senior citizens. We have midwives who assist in prenatal and postnatal care and even during deliveries in the birthing center of the main RHU. We also have barangay health workers who assist in conducting house-to-house visits. Lastly we, the RN heals nurses and midwives who are dispatched by the Department of Health in these different health units to aid in the campaign of decreasing the maternal and infant mortality rates as well as to assist in the program said above.

With the economic status of the Philippines, it is therefore appropriate that we know how utilize the people and other resources of our community. The health education that they provide can be of great significance in prevention of diseases and infections. Our medical professionals know their part or roles in our locations. Our government in addition also understand these health needs that‘s why there is an allotment of an ample budget for research and other health services in the promotion of people’s health.

No. 21 To understand the role of social problems as influencing factors in the cause of illness 

By: Grace Orunmuyiwa

Social problems actually prove a lot of issues and striking feature in the causing of illness, sickness and some chronic diseases. Social problems do not only influence the cause of disease, many a times, it is a cause and a predisposing factor in the cause of illness. For instance,  a group of young boys (5) who turned out to be drug addicts because of poverty and their accomplice who introduced them were tested HIV positive thus causing illness. Also some patients who were diagnosed of cirrhosis of the liver are advised to avoid taking alcoholic drinks and also to avoid buying food and water from the street. Since these could cause/aggravate the disease condition.

Thirdly, some social mothers (young ladies who got pregnant out of wedlock) were found shying away from hospitals/ANC visits. This eventually cost the life of some of the young mothers and their babies due to anemia and other complications. While some of these mothers had birth complications like Vesico- Virginal fistula and recto – virginal fistula. Thus we can see that a social problem has caused/influenced illness.

Fourthly, men and women who indulge in indiscriminate and unprotected sex have been found to be infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted disease. These are social problems influencing the cause of chronic diseases.

Also, socio-environmental problems like lack of good source of drinking water can aggravate or cause illness like worm infestation or even cholera and some other water borne diseases.

Another social problem which can influence the cause of disease/illness is alcoholism or excessive intake of alcohol. This can aggravate divorce, and afflict the children in that marriage or even lead to excessive stress on the opposite partner which may eventually lead to the abandonment of their marriage and may be the children/offspring of that marriage. This can lead to serious consequences in life. It is believed that by solving the nursing problems through appropriate and organized nursing strategies, the client will be moved toward ultimate health stated Abdellah’s concept.

Reference:

1.            Abdellah F. G. & Levine E. (1965) Better Patient Care Through Nursing Research. New York: Macmillan

2.            George J. (1995) Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional Nursing Practice 3rd edition Norwalk CN: Appleton and Large

3.            George J. (2002) Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional Nursing Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice – Hall inc.

4.            http://www.Nursingtheories.blogspot.com/2009/07