Community Health and Nursing Science
Community Health and Nursing Science tests the nursing process in families and communities, home-visit technique, the national immunisation schedule and the roles of ASHA, ANM and CHO.
Process and practice
- The nursing process runs through assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Community diagnosis aggregates family data to set priorities.
- Bag technique: keep the bag clean, perform hand hygiene, place the bag on newspaper or plastic, work from clean to dirty, and never return a used item to the bag.
- Home-visit sequence: pre-visit planning, the actual visit, then recording and referral. HBNC schedules ASHA visits on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 after delivery.
Immunisation under the national schedule
- BCG, hepatitis B birth dose and OPV-0 at birth; pentavalent and OPV at 6, 10 and 14 weeks; measles-rubella at 9-12 months and 16-24 months; DPT and OPV boosters; Td in pregnancy.
Worked example
A newborn arrives on day 5 with no card. Reasoning: give BCG, the hepatitis B birth dose and OPV-0 if missed, plan pentavalent at 6 weeks, and schedule the next ASHA visit for day 7. Routine measles vaccine is not given before 9 months.
Traps
Do not label the first step diagnosis without assessment; day 1 is not the only HBNC visit; never put used swabs back in the bag; ASHA is a community link without clinical prescribing, while the ANM provides clinical services.