Chapter 1 Book Notes

The government plays a key role in promoting the health and well-being of Americans.

This knowledge allows consumers and health-care workers to have understanding of an informed say (vote) in developing new legislation.

Health-care leaders such as Hippocrates, Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, and Florence Nightingale.

Hippocrates-The father of medicine , he emphasized the importance of observation and diagnosis in the medical field, laying the foundation for modern medical practices.

Florence Nightingale-Pioneer of Nursing, she revolutionized nursing practices and introduced sanitation standards, significantly improving patient outcomes during the Crimean War and leading to the establishment of nursing as a respected profession.

Dorothea Dix- Advocate for the mentally ill, she was instrumental in campaigning for humane treatment and establishing mental health facilities in the United States, thus transforming the care of individuals with mental health issues.

Clara Barton- Founder of the American Red Cross (1881), she played a crucial role in providing medical care during the American Civil War and went on to advocate for disaster relief efforts, establishing the organization to offer emergency assistance, disaster relief, and education in the United States.

The efforts of these and other leaders in the field of health-care led to the developement of Standards of Practice.

The first legal health-care issues concerned the definition of health related to the ability of slaves to work.

In 1911, school alumnae formed the American Nurses (ANA). Gradually the belief that nurses needed higher education and increased theoretical knowledge led to the opending of a program at Columbia University in New York to train teachers of nursing.

Health-care soon grew into an industry that depended on multidisciplinary providers, sucha as doctors, nurses, labratory technicians, radiology techinicians, social workers, and others.

The plan of care was developed as a tool for this communication and can be an individual, patient plan of care, a family plan of care, or a hospital care path that outlines the n eeds of the patient and the planned approach to meet these needs.

Standards of care provided by nurses and other members of the mutlidisciplinary team were developed by professional organizations to ensure quality care for patients.

States have government-established nurse practice acts, which define the scope of practice for nurses within that state. The scope of practice is the indentification of an legal limitations to the usual and customary skills practiced by a professional.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has designed a broad model Nurse Practice Act that serves as a multistate licensing arrangement (Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC), which it enables traveling nurses.