Fundamentals of Nursing I

Nurses provide care for three types of clients, which are individuals, families and communities. The nursing practice involves four areas:

• Promoting health and wellness
  Wellness is a state of well-being. Engaging in attitudes and behavior that enhance the quality of life and maximize personal potential (Anspaugh, hamrick, & Rosata, 2001). Nurses promote wellness in clients in both healthy and ill by improving nutrition and physical fitness; preventing drug and alcohol misuse; restricting smoking; preventing accidents and injury at home and in the workplace.
• Preventing illness
  The goal of preventing illness is to maintain optimal health by preventing disease. The nursing activities includes Immunizations; Prenatal and infant care; Prevention of sexually transmitted disease.
• Restoring health
  It focuses on the ill client, and it extends from early detection of disease through helping the client during the recovery period. The nursing Activities includes, providing direct care to the ill person, such as administering medications, baths and specific procedures and treatment; and Rehabilitating clients to their optimal functional level following physical or mental illness, injury, or chemical addiction.
• Care of the dying
  In this area provides comforting and caring for people of all ages who are dying. Includes: Helping clients as comfortably as possible until death and support persons cope with death. Usually, nurses carry these activities at home, hospitals, extended care facilities and some agencies, like hospices are specially designed for this purpose.