The management of infant developmental needs by community nurses - Part 1: Description of the responsibilities of community nurses with regard to the management of infant developmental needs

Abstract

This article is one of two that describes the responsibilities of community nurses, according to their legal scope of practice, with regard to the management of developmental needs of infants in primary health care clinics in South Africa. A subsequent article describes the development of guidelines for the support of community nurses to address the developmental needs of infants 0 - 2 years. While evidence confirms that developmental surveillance should be incorporated into the ongoing health care of the infant, such services are not consistently provided in health care settings and, if provided, the delivery thereof suffers from significant inadequacies. A case study strategy was used to investigate the phenomenon and content analysis utilised to analyze the data. The Transactional Model of Development was selected to interpret the data obtained in the study. Findings of the study show that infant developmental care is not included to its fullest potential in the health care delivered to infants and their families, thereby indicating that community nurses do not meet the standards of the profession with regard to the management of infant developmental needs. Health service managers need to review their commitment and type of support to community nurses, if infant developmental care, as part of community nurses’ responsibilities, is to be effective and of high quality. Furthermore, community nurses and other health care professionals must recognize the nature and potential of inter-professional collaboration to ensure positive outcomes for infants with developmental delays and disabilities

Utilization of registered nurses in primary care teams: A systematic review

“…RNs played a vital role across all six countries in helping to refer patients outside of the primary care environment when additional services or specialist consultation were required (Ladden et al, 2013, Leech et al, 2007, Lukewich et al, 2014, Rondinelli et al, 2014, Walker et al, 2015, Walsh et al, 2015). One study in Canada reported that 61% of RNs made independent patient referrals to home care, lactation specialists, social workers, dieticians, and occupational therapists (Todd et al, 2007).…”

“…One study in Canada reported that 61% of RNs made independent patient referrals to home care, lactation specialists, social workers, dieticians, and occupational therapists (Todd et al, 2007). A second study showed that RNs in South Africa acted as the primary liaison for patient needs and referrals (Leech et al, 2007). RNs in the US were the only group of RNs reported to assess patients through telehealth, such as home blood pressure monitoring (Anderson et al, 2012, Stewart et al, 2015).…”

“…Seven studies conducted in the US, Spain, South Africa, and Australia reported RN roles and responsibilities in the care of pediatric populations (Anderson et al, 2012, Leech et al, 2007, Pascoe et al, 2005, Patterson et al, 1998, Planas-Campmany et al, 2016, Rondinelli et al, 2014, Walsh et al, 2015). Primarily, RNs were responsible for newborn and infant developmental assessments (Anderson et al, 2012, Leech et al, 2007, Pascoe et al, 2005, Patterson et al, 1998, Planas-Campmany et al, 2016, Walsh et al, 2015).…”

“…Primarily, RNs were responsible for newborn and infant developmental assessments (Anderson et al, 2012, Leech et al, 2007, Pascoe et al, 2005, Patterson et al, 1998, Planas-Campmany et al, 2016, Walsh et al, 2015). In one South African primary care clinic, RNs were the sole healthcare provider responsible for the identification of, and interventions for, infant developmental delays (Leech et al, 2007). In Spain, RNs assess children for obesity and perform preventative interventions and risk assessment (Planas-Campmany et al, 2016).…”

“…In contrast, “practice nursing” in the United Kingdom is an advanced practice nursing role, requiring Master’s degree education, and is similar to a nurse practitioner role in the US and Canada (Atkin and Lunt, 1996). In South Africa, nurses working in primary care are called “community nurses” (Leech et al, 2007). The lack of consistency in nursing education and titles makes it challenging to define appropriate nursing tasks and complicates the description of nursing functions in primary care teams (Price, 2007).…”