Community Health Worker's Role in Quality Patient Care: Questions and Answers

The Importance of Record Keeping

Description Of Community And Community Boundaries The People And The Geographic, Geopolitical, Financial, Educational Level Ethnic And Phenomenological Features Of The Community, As Well As Types Of Social Interactions, Common Goals And Interests; And Barriers, And Challenges, Including Any Identified Social Determinates Of Health.

The community health worker was asked various questions that were thought to be relevant in their role. The questions and the answers the health worker provided have been mentioned below.

The first question that the health worker was asked is whether he used a system to maintain and update the records of the clients with the appropriate information and why he thought record keeping is important. The health worker answered that he used an online system to maintain and update the information of the clients after he gathers the data of the clients after a case is reported. He listens to the clients' information into the details, types under the client's name, saves and retrieves the information when there is a need. He said that record keeping is important because it leads to quality patient care and enhances good communication. It also leads to high-quality health care and creates professionalism in nursing, (Lillyman, 2014).

In the second question the health worker, was asked to give an experience that he advised community groups about issues related to quality public health such as diet. The health worker said that he addressed a group in the community when there was a cholera outbreak in the society. He reported that he realized poor hygiene in the society after which he decided to do community mobilization to halt the cholera hazard. He advised people on how to maintain healthy means of cooking and storing food and emphasized that the members should extensively clean their vegetables and fruits. They should cover food after serving or when storing, (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012). He also emphasized on cleaning hands with clean water every time they visited the washrooms.

The third question he was asked was about the challenges he came across when advising a client or group on intellectual or social development, for example, child care. He was also asked to share an experience

The health worker reported experiencing a lot of challenges. He said that when it comes to child care, negligence of parents and guardians is among the problems he faced. Some parents were not ready to listen to dietary patterns they are advised to follow to cure their children of Kwashiorkor. Some parents come to the community sessions when drunk and thus can't grasp anything helpful. He experienced a language barrier challenge due to illiteracy in the community and social, cultural and religious beliefs. He shared an experience of when a particular client became reluctant of taking her child to antenatal clinics for immunization because of her faith that discouraged immunization.

In the fourth question, he was asked to describe the experience he had when he advised clients on the need for childhood immunization and its accessibility. The health worker said that the immunization issue was positively received by the highest number of parents. After he taught the need of every immunization, the parents were ready to protect their children from risks that emerge when children are not immunized. Many numbers started to visit the nearby health centers for children immunization purposes. Those parents who found it hard to take their children for immunization requested for home immunization.

The fifth question he was asked was to explain how he assists families to apply for social services such as Medicaid or social services for infants, children or women.

He said that he helps families by holding community meetings through chief who mobilizes the members to attend meetings. After letting them conversant with the social services and their availability, he gave them the contacts to call during emergencies and forms to fill in their contacts and other relevant information guided by questions. He channeled the forms to general hospitals for analysis and when the hospitals are offering the social services, those in need are contacted through the contacts provided in the forms.

The sixth question he was asked was how frequently he makes home visits to the high-risk individuals, pregnant women or newborns to assess their needs or monitor their progress.

He reported that he has a list from hospitals of these groups. Because the number is high, they share responsibility with other community health workers where every health practitioner handles a particular group. He had been accorded duty to the high-risk individuals who he visited at home thrice per week unless when there was an emergency when he visits any time after an emergency call is made.

The last question he was asked was about the predominant health issues in the community.

The health worker mentioned the predominant health issues to be nutritional issues such as obesity, prescription drug overdose, food safety, harms from alcohol, HIV and healthcare-associated infections, (Bruggman & Press, 2017)

References

Bruggman, A., & Press, S. (2017). Salem Health: Community & Family Health Issues. New York, NY: Salem Press.

Lillyman, S. (2014). Nursing & Health Survival Guide: Record Keeping. doi:10.4324/9781315848082

Long, S. S., Pickering, L. K., & Prober, C. G. (2012). Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases E-Book. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.