NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Sample Answer for NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1 Included After Question

What spiritual considerations surrounding a disaster can arise for individuals, communities, and health care providers? Explain your answer in the context of a natural or human caused disaster. How can a community health nurse apply the Christian worldview to the care of the individual, community, self, and colleagues during disaster management?

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Every year, approximately 400 natural disasters occur worldwide (Waldman, 2018). With the increased incidence of man-made and natural disasters over the past decades the role of public health nurses has expanded to include what is known as disaster nursing – this involves the prevention, preparation, intervention, and after-math management processes involved in handling disasters (Falkner, 2018).

A disaster has been defined by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) as “a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources,” (IFRC, n.d., as cited by Falkner, 2018).

Disasters natural or man-made affects everyone regardless or your race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. When a disaster strikes, it is important for a nurse to be ready to assess and respond to the needs of her victims (or patients) in a holistic and culturally competent manner. The nurse should understand that events such as disasters take a psychological as well as spiritual toll on the victims and should be able to attend to spiritual needs as they arise and consider that people of different faith and culture respond differently to traumatic events

According to Waldman & et al., (2018), appropriate spiritual care includes: assessing patient’s spiritual needs; referring to clergy/chaplains as needed; and supporting the patient’s spiritual beliefs and needs, individualizing the spiritual care to the patient. NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Finally, if a nurse suspects that a patient or her colleague is in spiritual distress, the nurse can do simple things such as being physically present – whether in silent or actively listening and empathizing with them would go a long way to soothe their spiritual pain. The nurse can meet the spiritual needs of her community by assessing and screening the spiritual needs of her community, advocating for resources and monitoring client’s support systems (Waldman, 2018).

References

Elk, R., Hall, E. J., DeGregory, C., Graham, D., & Hughes, B. P. (2019, September 1). The Role of Nurses in Providing Spiritual Care to Patients: An Overview | Journal of Nursing. Nursing Journals: American Society of Registered Nurses. A Journal of Nursing. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.asrn.org/journal-nursing/1781-the-role-of-nurses-in-providing-spiritual-care-to-patients-an-overview.html

Falkner, A. (2018). Disaster Management. Community & Public Health: The Future of Health Care. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/5

Waldman, R. (2018, December 13). Natural and Human-Made Disasters. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/eis/field-epi-manual/chapters/Natural-Human-Disasters.html

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

This is an exceptional and well-detailed post. Indeed, the outcome of disasters has devastating effects such as massive loss of human lives, morbidity, destruction of properties, despair, and interference with social surroundings. These effects severely affect people including their spirituality and may question God’s love for human beings. As such, there is a need for divine support for the victims to overcome the severe consequences of disasters. Spirituality is crucial in facilitating early recovery from the traumatic aftermath of the disastrous events (Cherry et al., 2018). However, the community may differ in their response to spiritual aspects. The experience can result in thoughts of punishment from God, spiritual dissatisfaction, or interpersonal spirituality displeasure. Therefore, community health nurses should evaluate the spiritual understanding of an individual. This knowledge is crucial in ensuring divine coping from the spiritual and psychological trauma sustained from the disaster by helping to compassionately provide individual-centered care, which is critical for quick recovery (Oloruntoba & Asare-Doku, 2021).

References

Cherry, K. E., Sampson, L., Galea, S., Marks, L. D., Stanko, K. E., Nezat, P. F., & Baudoin, K. H. (2018). Spirituality, humor, and resilience after natural and technological disasters. Journal of nursing scholarship, 50(5), 492-501. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12400

Oloruntoba, R., & Asare-Doku, W. (2021). Self-Reliance in Disaster Recovery: A Systematic Literature Review 1990-2019. International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters, 39(1). http://www.ijmed.org/articles/801/

A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

First of all, a disaster can be defined as a sudden event that comes with great calamity and also disrupts the normal functioning of a community of population causing human, material, economic or environmental losses which supersede the ability of that very community to cope depending on their resources alone (Falkner, 2018). According to the American Nurses Association [ANA] (2015), it the duty of the nurse as licensed providers to respond to emergency situations in caring for their patients during outcomes like disasters (cited in Falkner, 2018).

A natural disaster such as the Alberta Wildfire which occurred in 2016 in Canada. Here, the residents of Fort McMurray were forced to leave their home as their entire community became displaced for several weeks following the natural disaster incident. These residents suffered damages to both their housings and their community infrastructure (Lalani et al., 2021).

Spirituality has been shown to be a major backbone of victims of disaster because it promotes endurance and recovery in the light of a disaster. The case of the victims of Fort McMurray showed that spirituality and its values are very necessary to encouraging resiliency among communities as they recover following a disaster which befell them on the long-term. These spiritual values create a deeper sense of gratitude, compassion,generated hope, encouraged social interaction and togetherness, which have encouraged the psychosocial recovery of the residents of Fort McMurray (Lalani et al., 2021).

Nurses therefore advocate for the spiritual needs of these victims by locating the chaplain who is a member of the society, whenever possible and engaging their spiritual practices as long as these do not interfere with the patient safety or with the course of the treatment which is to bring comfort to the victims of the natural disaster (Falkner, 2018).

References

Falkner, A. (2018). Disaster management. Community & Public Health: The Future of Health Care. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/5

Lalani, N., Drolet, J. L., McDonald-Harker, C., Brown, M. R. G., Brett-Maclean, P., Agyapong, V. I. O., Greenshaw, A. J., & Silverstone, P. H. (2021). Nurturing spiritual resilience to promote post-disaster community recovery: The 2016 Alberta wildfire in Canada. Frontiers in Public Health, 682558. https://doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.682558

A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

This is an outstanding post. Disasters such as the 2016 Alberta Wildfire in Canada are associated with serious consequences that greatly interfere with the normal lives of people. One of the aspects that are influenced by such disasters is the spirituality of survivors. Survivors may integrate their divine meaning into analyzing the disaster as a coping technique (Lalani et al., 2021). Some people can interpret the disaster as God’s punishment for the community’s evil deeds while other are convinced that God is the creator of the disaster. Moreover, nurses could encounter divine aspects when caring for the traumatized, desperate, and hopeless disaster survivors. The pain and anguish of the survivors could prompt nurses to pursue holistic care for the victims including spiritual healing to help in restoring their beliefs (Cherry et al., 2018). Community health nurses have important roles in supporting the victims through spiritual care. The support can be provided through reduction of pain and eradication of triggers to negative thoughts such as suicide. Nurses should determine the individual survivor’s understanding of spirituality and provide person-centered care to enhance health outcomes.

References

Lalani, N., Drolet, J. L., McDonald-Harker, C., Brown, M. R., Brett-MacLean, P., Agyapong, V. I., … & Silverstone, P. H. (2021). Nurturing Spiritual Resilience to Promote Post-disaster Community Recovery: The 2016 Alberta Wildfire in Canada. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.682558

A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

A disaster man made or natural can cause people to feel that God has let them down. They can become angry at God and develop fear and anxiety. They lose their FAITH. Anger is very dangerous because people can lash out at others who may be trying to help or the helpless. Those who are mentally challenged now have extra added stress and could become a danger to themselves and others (Rachev, 2017). These emotions affects everyone from an individual to the health care professional who is trying to provide support and care while they may be going through the same disaster. People and the community’s wellbeing can be affected because “the disaster has changed us and we may not notice how we have been affected” as stated by PasterTwito from the Salvation Army, causing trouble sleeping, difficulty going to the bathroom or the opposite, loss of appetite, headaches elevated blood pressure (Rachev, 2017). Spiritual comfort is provided by just being there, a hug, comfort, the sacrifice and prayers. It is very important that spiritual assistance comes from the many different religions and there are times when situations like these bring communities together despite their differences. Disasters do not just bring out the worst, but it shows us how wonderful people really are and how they come together to survive what they are going through. God does not have respect of persons (Romans 2:11); his love brings us all together in tough times. Spirituality helps communities and people cope with their situation (Varghese, 2010). We take action here on earth as God calls us to serve others.

As we have dealt with many disasters, 911, Sandy, plane crashes, COVID19 and now war: we watch humanity come together to provide comfort, support, supplies and show so much love and concern. Just watching People in Poland opening their homes to strangers, that’s an act of God’s love. We can be different but show our support.

As a nurse in the community, we must try to maintain control of our emotions in order to be supportive to those that need our help. We provide ethical treatment, being mindful of culture, religious beliefs, and a person’s rights (Varghese, 2010). Spiritual care is part of holistic care being culturally sensitive and compassionate is very important to the people we serve (Jose, 2010). The team we work with must be able to rely on our competence and communications. Disaster situations like COVID19 show just how strong and dedicated we are to serving one another.

References:

Jose M. M. (2010 December 22nd). Cultural, ethical, and spiritual competencies of health care providers responding to a catastrophic event. Critical care nursing clinics of North America, 22(4), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2010.09.001

King James Bible, Romans 2:11

Rachev, (2017 September 20th). Emotional and Spiritual Care: An Essential Need in Disaster Response. The Salvation Army. https://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/news/2017/09/20/emotional-and-spiritual-care-an-essential-need-in-disaster-response

Varghese S. B. (2010 December 22nd). Cultural, ethical, and spiritual implications of natural disasters from the survivors’ perspective. Critical care nursing clinics of North America, 22(4), 515–522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2010.09.005

A Sample Answer 6 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Your post is in-depth and compelling. Ideally, disasters are associated with serious impacts that may lead people to feel abandoned by God and develop fear and anxiety. Community health nurses have a critical role in caring for the survivors and restoring their spirituality and faith. They can support the survivors through emotional care by collaborating with other relevant providers such as mental health practitioners (Nejadshafiee et al., 2020). Disasters cause severe trauma in patients putting them at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. As such, it is critical to refer the survivors to mental health practitioners for proper counseling and emotional care. The other form of support is to ensure resiliency through spiritual support (Oloruntoba & Asare-Doku, 2021). Spirituality can assist survivors to adapt and shift from traumatizing events and help in developing a new normal through the provision of a positive worldview, hope and motivation, sense of control, psychological integration, meaning and purpose, and social support (Lalani et al., 2021). Apart from survivors, community health nurses are also likely to be traumatized or experience burnout and fatigue. Therefore, they equally deserve the post-care process for emotional support.

References

Nejadshafiee, M., Bahaadinbeigy, K., Kazemi, M., & Nekoei-Moghadam, M. (2020). Telenursing: A step for care management in disaster and emergencies. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 9. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_8_20

A Sample Answer 7 For the Assignment: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NRS 428 Topic 5 DQ 1

A disaster can be either a natural or a man-made disaster. Examples of natural disasters include things such as hurricanes, blizzards, mudslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, epidemics, and fires. Examples of man-made disasters include things such as terrorism, transportation accidents, food and water contamination, and building collapse (Falkner, 2018). Different communities and different people respond to disasters in a different way. Depending on what the disaster is, a lot of time communities need to come together to help each other out, and may even need the assistance of the nation or even outside help from other countries. In the event of a disaster, it is important to consider a person’s spiritual and cultural background. Some people may not want to leave their home in spite of a hurricane, some will need assistance with counseling and support, and others may need a place to stay. The role of a community nurse is to assess the situation, make sure to help with safety, and also serve as a guide and support person during a disaster. Not only are community nurses there to ensure safety, but disasters can be traumatizing situations, and many can turn to nurses or their faith in order to help them through the difficult times. Nurses can help clean up, provide shelter and food, help rebuild areas, travel to areas that are in need of more healthcare needs, triage, and help with donation services. As nurses, it is important that we do not let social determents of health be put in the way of our care or anything else. Areas involved in disasters need to be attended to in a timely manner in order to have better outcomes.

One recent disaster that nurses were involved in was Covid-19. Many nurses traveled to help areas that were in need of more nurses in hospitals. During this time, many people died in the hospital without being near their loved ones. The nurses were their support system, and many passed away with nurses being the only ones that could be there for them. They helped in many spiritual ways when there was a lot of limitations on who could be there for the people passing. Regardless of a person’s religious background, as nurses we are there to be their support person especially during trying times where people may not have access to all of their loved ones or spiritual leaders.

Falkner, A. (2018). Disaster management. In Grand Canyon University, Community and Public Health: The Future of Health Care. (Eds). Grand Canyon University

Voluntary and community-based organizations. FEMA.gov. (n.d.). https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities/faith-volunteer/voluntary-organizations

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