The community health nurse ( CHN ) occupies a key place in a Health team .The community health nurses role in her community work makes her a teacher, counselor, friend, a midwife , a social worker , a nutritionist , a nurse practitioner , a health educator , leading her to perform several tasks .
The community health nurse working in the community should follow the following principles in her daily work regardless of special training or position .
Principles of community health nursing practices are :
1. A community health nurse should know the community thoroughly : i.e community leaders , schools teachers , women leaders. This will help to establish good working relationship. The work of community nurse should be family centered with the home being the usual setting . The Nurse is the guest and family is the host.
2. The community health Nurse should effectively with other member of health team : by establishing good interpersonal relationship . CHN should aware of role of various health team members to avoid duplication of services. The team plans and executes health programmmes .
3. Community health nurse needs to maintain professional relationship and etiquettes with everyone in community : Community health nurse should be conversant with the local customs and should live more or less with the people whom she serves . She needs to to explain programmes of work to get cooperation from all.
4. Community health nursing services should be available to all people : irrespective of their age , sex, creed , nationality , religion , political affiliation and socio economic status .
Every human being ha a right to good personal health and environment . so community nursing services must be available to all persons according to their health needs .
5. The services offered need to be realistic in terms of available manpower and facilities and be of continuous nature : The services planned should be according to needs of patient and community. Before planning of health services the money , material , and manpower needs to be assessed .
6. Continues service is effective service : Health services should be provided continuously to the individual family and nurse should have repeated contact with them .
7. The services offered by community health nurse needs to be periodically assessed to determine the progress : The criteria for evaluation should be built in the plan to meet the objectives which should be clearly stated
8. Adequate records and reports needs to be maintained on the work and service carried out by the community health nurse : The maintenance of accurate reports and records helps on their use to both family and agency .The family record is indispensable to the nurse in her daily work .
9. The community health nurse needs to be well qualified and should maintain professional interest : The CHN is herself responsible for her professional growth and education . Each nurse needs to establish her own immediate and long term goal in order to continue building and developing her education both professional and general . It can be done by reading journals and periodicals on nursing and allied subjects .
10. Health services should be on felt needs : Health programmes should be planned on the felt needs of the people . Needs can be assessed by health survey to enable the nurse to familiar with prevailing health problems and health resources .
11. The community health nurse needs to have job satisfaction : There should be provision for supervision and directing community health nursing services. The aim of supervision is to develop abilities and skills of the community health nurse .
12. The community health nurse should be non sectarian, non political in her relationship : CHN should not interfere with religious beliefs and political beliefs of people. This will help community in accepting the community health nurse.
Aspects of community health nurse
C – Consultant
O – Organizer
M – Main member of health team
M – Manager
U – Utilizer of man power
N – Nurse practitioner
I – Independent role
T – Teacher
Y – Yielder