Role of Nurse in Primary Health Care

Nurses have always only ever worked in hospitals. Under the direction of doctors, nurses provided medical treatment for sick people. The nurse's job description has now changed. She works alone in the neighborhood. Instead of disease, her work focuses on health-related concerns, such as community environmental & personal health. While providing primary healthcare, nurses are required to fulfill the following roles:

• Health care provider / Preventer of illness:

  • The main goal of community health nursing is illness prevention. The nurse conducts immunization clinics, aids in case-finding during cholera outbreaks and other epidemics, provides nutrition counseling, and engages in many other disease-prevention activities at Endeavour. The community health nurse takes on the role of an epidemiologist in this situation and applies epidemiological knowledge before to or during a communicable disease outbreak.

• Consultant/Manager Role:

  • The community health nurses are consulted by the authorities when a program is being planned since they are a source of knowledge regarding the specific program that is being planned. programs for immunization, for instance. As a consultant, the nurse offers her nursing knowledge and experience to assist in addressing a need or problem.

• Educator role

  • The community health nurse's second crucial responsibility is that of an educator or health teacher. Health education is a well-known component of nursing practice. In order to promote public health, the educator position is extremely helpful. The nurse fulfills the function of educator both inside the hospital and beyond it. First, community customers are frequently not seriously ill and are able to understand and respond to health information. For instance, a group of pregnant parents who are not hindered by serious health issues can understand how nutrition affects fetal growth.

• Supervisor role

  • It affects the caregiving process and structure. It involves interaction between a leader and a follower to assist coworkers and members of the community in carrying out their duties competently and effectively, to enhance health, and to assess performance.

• Evaluator role

  • The goal of evaluation is to determine whether a program has succeeded in meeting its stated goals and whether it is adequate, effective, and well-liked by everybody. The nurse must assess performance and results in comparison to earlier defined criteria and goals.

• Change Agent:

  • The nurse influences health policy, encourages interest in health promotion, and acts as a change agent. Nurses are requesting change when they advise patients to adopt new, healthier lifestyles. The nurse influences people to adopt healthy habits using a variety of performance-based education, skill, attitude, etc.

• Co-ordinator role

  • Nurses don't often work alone. Clients, other nurses, doctors, teachers, health educators, social workers, dietitians, occupational therapists, psychologists, biostatisticians, attorneys, secretaries, environmentalists, city planners, and legislators are just a few of the many people they must collaborate with.