Family Nursing Care Plan

Initial Database

We were tasked to pair up and look for a family who’s willing to accommodate us for the home-visit. My partner and I

initiated a light and casual conversation with the family with the intention of putting them at ease, thus allowing them to open up to

us and share with us their genuine concerns rather than giving us false and superficial details based on pretention. As soon as we

identified the problems involved in the setting, we formulated possible plans of action that would aid in alleviating their current

situation. We studied the data we gathered and gave priority to the most salient matter. Armed with the facts at hand, we

brainstormed regarding the materials we would have to utilize and the bits of knowledge that would be best to impart to the family.

We then proceeded to realize the plans we devised.

A. Family Structure, Characteristics, and Dynamics

The family of Mrs. M. is nuclear in nature. They have 8 kids. The eldest is 17y/o and the youngest is only 2y/o. They all

live under one roof. According to Mrs. M she and her husband have equal power in the decision making regarding matters

concerning health care that goes the same for other issues as well. From what we have observed, it is apparent that their family size

has a negative effect on their relationship with each other, most especially the children. They are constantly bickering about the

most trivial things. I can also see that their large number, when taken into consideration with their small and inadequate living space,

is really taking a toll on their household.

B. Socio-economic and Cultural Characteristics

Mrs. L is a stay-at-home mom and her husband works at the nearby quarry; his paycheck varies from day to day.

According to Mrs. L, they can barely make ends meet with the money that her husband earns. Most of the time, it’s just enough to

put some food into their stomachs for they have 8 mouths to feed. 10 if you count the parents. They spend most of their money on

home cooked meals which primarily consists of fish, vegetables, eggs, and rice. Sad to say, they can’t even afford to buy milk, even

the cheaper kind. Mrs. L finished highschool while her husband only reached grade two. Their eldest daughter was fortunate enough

to have a college education but she only lasted until the 1st semester due to financial constraints. The family is Catholic but they

don’t always go to church. They aren’t active in the community but they are quite close to their neighbors as one would expect.

Some of their neighbors are their blood relatives. Their lives are interwoven with each other and they depend on one another. I can

describe their community as a network of interdependent individuals working together as a single unit with common interests and

are facing similar tribulations.

C. Home and Environment

Their home is a quite small and anyone would think that it’s not enough for a family that big to live and thrive in that small

area. The house has two bedrooms and one toilet. The older kids sleep in one room, while the parents, together with the younger

kids sleep together at the other. The bedrooms lack mosquito nets and the space where they sleep posts a risk to their health. It is

easy to transmit various diseases with the very limited area of living space. The toilet area is very unsanitary and the house in

general is in bad condition and desperately needs repair. Their roof leaks when it rains, the walls have holes, and there is no

flooring. They lack a refrigerator which is essential for food storage and their cooking and eating utensils are very ill kept. The

community has a level I water supply facility. Water from NAWASA is regularly delivered to them door-to-door, but they also get

water from the nearby well as well and that is used for the laundry. Their garbage is also regularly fetched by the collectors. Their

neighborhood consists of an array of small houses that are juxtaposed. Their community is rather poor and the area is filled with

families from varying backgrounds. As for the health care situation, Trinity University of Asia has established health centers at Units

2, 3, and 5. Healthcare providers are present at the health centers. Tricycle is the most common means of transportation at Pagrai,

though most still prefer to travel on foot.

D. Health Status of each Family Member

 In spite of their family situation and the conditions they live in, their health is not at all compromised. Their eldest daughter

has asthma though, but according to Mrs. L she doesn’t experience severe asthma attacks; she only manifests mild symptoms.

Aside from the occasional incidences of cough and colds, the parents seem to be in good health and so do the other children. They

prefer eating fruits, vegetables, and fish rather than meat. For breakfast they usually have bread, sweet potato, or banana. Rice is a

staple food in their home.

E. Values, Habits, Practices on Health Promotion, Maintenance and Disease Prevention

When we asked Mrs. L regarding the immunization status of her children, she told us that not all her children are fully

immunized and she admitted that she doesn’t really see the point of it. According to her, they get enough sleep everyday and their

daily activities usually include doing house chores or going to the well to fetch water or do the laundry. She said that busying

themselves with household chores keeps them strong; that’s their form of exercise. We have observed that the children sometimes

walk barefoot which posts a risk to their health due to the fact that their house lacks flooring, which means that the soil is exposed.

As I have pointed out, they don’t have mosquito nets to protect them from disease-carrying vectors. They’re not that health

conscious and they have this notion that they are in good shape, thus they don’t need to have regular check-ups or at the very least

drop by one of the health centers.

Furthermore, Mr. L is a heavy smoker which may have adverse effects to his family, most especially his daughter, who is asthmatic.

Scoring

Lack of immunization

Criteria Computation Actual Score Justification

Nature of the Problem Makes the children at risk for
Health deficit 3 certain illnesses that may
Health threat 2 2/3 x 1 0.67 otherwise be prevented
Foreseeable crisis 1
Modifiability This service is readily
Easily modifiable 2 available in the community
Partially modifiable 1 2/2 x 2 1
Not modifiable 0
Preventive Potential It is easy to enlighten the
High 3 parents regarding the its
3/3 x 1
Moderate 2 1 importance
Low 1
Salience It is not a matter that poses an
Urgent 2 urgent risk, thereby not
Perceived, not needing 1 immediate 1/2 x 1 0.5 requiring immediate attention
attention
Not felt as a problem 0
Total 4.17

Family size beyond what family resources can adequately provide

Criteria Computation Actual Score Justification

Nature of the Problem Scarce resources posts a
Health deficit 3 threat to the health of family
Health threat 2 2/3 x 1 0.67 members
Foreseeable crisis 1
Modifiability If parents are willing to
Easily modifiable 2 cooperate, they’d find a way to
Partially modifiable 1 1/2 x 2 1 improve their situation.
Not modifiable 0
Preventive Potential Their family is already big; it
High 3 would take hard work to
1/3 x 1
Moderate 2 0.33 compensate for the scarcity.
Low 1
Salience They lack resources that
Urgent 2 would ensure the well-being of
Perceived, not needing 1 immediate 2/2 x 1 1 each member.
attention
Not felt as a problem 0
Total 3

Cigarette smoking

Criteria Computation Actual Score Justification

Nature of the Problem This creates a hazardous
Health deficit 3 environment for the family
Health threat 2 2/3 x 1 0.67
Foreseeable crisis 1
Modifiability It is possible to persuade the
Easily modifiable 2 father to quit smoking or at
Partially modifiable 1 1/2 x 2 1 least control his habit
Not modifiable 0
Preventive Potential It is not a simple matter for
High 3 strangers to convince him alter
1/3 x 1
Moderate 2 0.33 his lifestyle
Low 1
Salience His daughter has asthma and
Urgent 2 they live in a congested house
Perceived, not needing 1 immediate 2/2 x 1 1
attention
Not felt as a problem 0
Total 3