Community health nursing practices in contexts of poverty, uncertainty and unpredictability: a systematization of personal experiences.

Several years of professional nursing practices, while living in the poorest neighbourhoods in the outlying areas of Brazil's Amazon region, have led the author to develop a better understanding of marginalized populations. Providing care to people with leprosy and sex workers in riverside communities has taken place in conditions of uncertainty, insecurity, unpredictability and institutional violence. The question raised is how we can develop community health nursing practices in this context. A systematization of personal experiences based on popular education is used and analyzed as a way of learning by obtaining scientific knowledge through critical analysis of field practices. Ties of solidarity and belonging developed in informal, mutual-help action groups are promising avenues for research and the development of knowledge in health promotion, prevention and community care and a necessary contribution to national public health programmers.

Community health nursing practices in contexts of poverty, uncertainty and unpredictability: a systematization of personal experiences

Several years of professional nursing practices, while living in the poorest neighbourhoods in the outlying areas of Brazil's Amazon region, have led the author to develop a better understanding of marginalized populations. Providing care to people with leprosy and sex workers in riverside communities has taken place in conditions of uncertainty, insecurity, unpredictability and institutional violence. The question raised is how we can develop community health nursing practices in this context. A systematization of personal experiences based on popular education is used and analyzed as a way of learning by obtaining scientific knowledge through critical analysis of field practices. Ties of solidarity and belonging developed in informal, mutual-help action groups are promising avenues for research and the development of knowledge in health promotion, prevention and community care and a necessary contribution to national public health programmers.

Muitos anos de prática profissional em enfermagem, vivendo nas vizinhanças mais pobres de áreas distantes da região Amazônica brasileira levaram a autora a desenvolver uma melhor compreensão das populações marginalizadas. O cuidado às pessoas com lepra e trabalhadores do sexo de comunidades ribeirinhas tem sido realizado em condições de incerteza, insegurança, imprevisibilidade e violência institucional. A questão levantada é como podemos desenvolver práticas de enfermagem na saúde da comunidade neste contexto. A sistematização de experiências pessoais baseadas na educação popular é usada e analisada como uma maneira de conhecer e obter conhecimento científico através da análise crítica das práticas da área. Laços de solidariedade e pertencimento desenvolvidos em ações de grupos informais de ajuda mútua são caminhos promissores para pesquisa e desenvolvimento do conhecimento em promoção a saúde, prevenção e cuidado à comunidade e uma contribuição necessária para os programas de saúde pública nacional.

Varios años de prácticas profesionales de enfermería, viviendo en los distritos más pobres de las áreas periféricas de la región amazónica de Brasil, llevaron o autor a desarrollar una mejor comprensión de poblaciones marginalizadas. La provisión de cuidados a personas con lepra y trabajadores del sexo en comunidades ribereñas ha sido llevado a cabo en condiciones de incertidumbre, inseguridad, imprevisibilidad y violencia institucional. Se pregunta como podemos desarrollar prácticas de enfermería en salud comunitaria en este contexto. Una sistematización de experiencias personales basada en educación popular es usada y analizada como un método de saber, obteniendo conocimiento científico mediante un análisis crítico de prácticas en el campo. Lazos de solidaridad y pertenencia desarrollados en grupos de acción informales, de ayuda mutua son caminos prometedores para la investigación y el desarrollo de conocimiento en la promoción de la salud, prevención y atención comunitaria y una contribución necesaria a programas nacionales de salud pública.

Economic analysis of a pragmatic randomised trial of home visits by a nurse to elderly people with hypertension in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the costs and the effectiveness of an intervention of home visits made by nurses to elderly people versus usual care given by the family medicine units. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sample of 4,777 subjects aged 60 years and over covered by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS) were screened. Those with a systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure level higher or equal than 160/90 mm Hg were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups. The intervention consisted of visits at home by nurses who gave health and lifestyle advice to the participants. The economic evaluation was considered from a health services and patient perspective. Direct and indirect costs were calculated as incremental. Effectiveness was measured in terms of cost per millimetre of mercury reduced. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty five participants were allocated to the intervention group and compared with 338 controls. At the end of the intervention period the difference in the mean change in systolic blood pressure was 3.31 mm Hg (95% CI 6.32, 0.29; p = 0.03) comparing with the control group. In diastolic blood pressure the difference was 3.67 (95% CI 5.22, 2.12; p < 0.001). The total cost of the intervention was 101 901.66 pesos. The intervention cost per patient was 34.61 pesos (US$3.78), (CI 95% 34.44, 35.46). The cost-effectiveness ratios was 10.46 pesos (US$1.14) for systolic (CI 95% 129.31, 5.51) and 9.43 (US$1.03) for diastolic (CI 95% 19.90, 2.49). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in blood pressure obtained may well justify the small incremental cost of the intervention.

Economic analysis of a pragmatic randomised trial of home visits by a nurse to elderly people with hypertension in Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the costs and the effectiveness of an intervention of home visits made by nurses to elderly people versus usual care given by the family medicine units. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sample of 4,777 subjects aged 60 years and over covered by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS) were screened. Those with a systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure level higher or equal than 160/90 mm Hg were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups. The intervention consisted of visits at home by nurses who gave health and lifestyle advice to the participants. The economic evaluation was considered from a health services and patient perspective. Direct and indirect costs were calculated as incremental. Effectiveness was measured in terms of cost per millimetre of mercury reduced. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty five participants were allocated to the intervention group and compared with 338 controls. At the end of the intervention period the difference in the mean change in systolic blood pressure was 3.31 mm Hg (95 CI 6.32, 0.29; p = 0.03) comparing with the control group. In diastolic blood pressure the difference was 3.67 (95 CI 5.22, 2.12; p < 0.001). The total cost of the intervention was 101 901.66 pesos. The intervention cost per patient was 34.61 pesos (US$3.78), (CI 95 34.44, 35.46). The cost-effectiveness ratios was 10.46 pesos (US$1.14) for systolic (CI 95 129.31, 5.51) and 9.43 (US$1.03) for diastolic (CI 95 19.90, 2.49). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in blood pressure obtained may well justify the small incremental cost of the intervention.

Nursing's response to the crisis of access, costs, and quality in health care.

Changes now taking place in the structure of health care delivery in the United States from regulatory models controlled by physicians to competitive models driven by traditional market forces of cost and quality are beginning to open opportunities for innovative nursing practice models. This article reports on the cost-effectiveness of a community nursing center for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The potential cost impact of the nursing center is significant because of the nurses' ability to forestall hospital admissions and readmissions, decrease prolonged lengths of stay, provide medically supportive outpatient treatments, care for clients at a low cost per client per year, attract professional and nonprofessional volunteer services and donations, and increase job satisfaction, thus reducing costly nurse turnover. The 1991 to 1992 costs of HIV/AIDS health care in the United States were used to estimate conservatively that the center has saved more than $700,000 in 1991 and over $1 million in 1992 in hospital charges for HIV/AIDS care. A rationale for the cost savings estimates is supplied by results of quantitative and qualitative evaluation research projects conducted at the center. Finally, implications of this analysis for future directions in nursing practice and education are discussed.

The process of VNA affiliation with a major teaching hospital.

Affiliation among agencies with differing staff, resources, organizational structure, policies, and programs is never easy. The author discusses major components of an affiliation between a visiting nurse association and its former competitor--a major teaching hospital.

An overview of home care for patients with cancer.

This article describes some of the restrictions and obstacles that patients with cancer may face in home care. Though discharge from the hospital to home can be overwhelming and frightening, nurses and other healthcare professionals can assist the patient and caregiver to ensure a smooth transition. Issues such as treatment options, reimbursement, quality assurance, legal issues, and need for research are addressed with the purpose of providing guidance and direction for practitioners in all settings involved with patients with cancer who are in need of nursing care in their homes.