How an FNP keeps patients and their families healthy

There’s a popular saying that ‘prevention is better than a cure’. This is certainly true when it comes to protecting health and wellbeing while reducing the chances of falling seriously ill.

 

It is not as straightforward as it sounds, however, as there is still a lot to be done to guide people towards ways of lowering risks to their health. This is why communities (and the healthcare system in general) are coming to rely on Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs).

 

Life is busy, and a bad economy can make it easy to slip into a lifestyle that leaves little room for health-related activities. Fortunately, FNPs often work in communities that have various health settings, and they help to offer accessible healthcare services – sometimes through multiple facilities. This includes diagnosing and treating health conditions and diseases alongside education about preventative measures.

 

This article explores how modern FNPs are helping local communities find practical long-term solutions, with effective disease prevention and health management activities. It also explores how this help can be highly beneficial to patients.

 

Why self-managing health matters

 

There have been many diverse advances in the way diseases can be detected, monitored, and treated in recent years. Technology and increased medical skills are also making huge strides in supporting patients who have experienced traumatic injuries.

 

This is just one compelling reason for individuals to get involved with programs that protect health and reduce risks to life. Lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on patient health and lifespans. Self-management teaches the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, but this requires qualified healthcare professionals.

 

Healthcare professionals such as FNPs can work in local neighborhoods to focus on self-management and lifestyle changes. They can help individuals look out for ‘red flags’ concerning their health and take proactive steps. This keeps individuals out of hospital and improves outlooks for all involved.

 

The role of FNPs in health protection

 

The bridge between ever-improving healthcare testing, diagnostic methods, and treatments, is the professionals who work within communities. They share the ideas, information, and skills needed to make lifestyle changes possible and more sustainable.

 

At the frontline of this is the FNP. They are often the first point of contact patients have with their medical service providers. FNPs are also skilled collaborators, drawing together input from physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to develop comprehensive care for their patients.

 

The clinical skills and knowledge that FNPs acquire enables them to take on some of the roles traditionally associated with physicians. This is a great help in rural areas or busy city health centers where access to doctors is limited. Qualified FNPs are often found in private and public health practices as well as hospitals to assist with diagnosis, treatment, and care.

 

However, they also play a vital role in disease prevention and education in their local communities. They often work in schools and colleges, promoting vital health messages. They also hold clinics and open sessions so that patients of all ages can get access to help and advice on making wiser lifestyle choices.

 

When a patient does experience a health risk or issue, it is often an FNP who supports them through recovery or guides them through the best ways to self-manage both temporary and chronic health conditions. This is not the only health protection work they do, however. FNPs also play a central role in spreading good practice among their colleagues, such as daily measures to address healthcare-acquired infections. 

 

This is a vital responsibility when qualified nurse practitioners are carrying out leadership responsibilities, as nosocomial infections, and Hospital-Associated Infections (HAIs) are another preventable cause of death.

 

How do FNPs prepare for this role?

 

To make such a positive and lasting impact on their community, FNPs must have personal and professional abilities that are more advanced and diverse than a Registered Nurse (RN). They gain this level of skill from experience as an RN, building on that with a Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) program. Opting for a flexible online MSN-FNP makes this highly feasible for working nurses. The American International College (AIC) delivers all the core topics – such as nursing research, advanced concepts of health assessment, and policy and politics of healthcare – online. Students also benefit from a three-day in-person residency, and assistance in finding high-quality clinical placements locally.

 

Taking this career path for nurses can be the first step towards taking on even more defined leadership and educator posts in nursing. It certainly paves the way for nurses to become key members of local primary and secondary healthcare services too.

 

How FNPs deliver preventative healthcare

 

FNPs help individuals, families and whole communities make informed decisions about their diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices. They also spread awareness of health issues that can be addressed better if patients act quickly or seek help at an early stage. This can include promoting and delivering vaccine programs in local communities, for example.

 

Additionally, FNPs are constantly promoting and supporting the availability of testing and screening services, encouraging communities to make full use of these resources. This could be as straightforward as encouraging patients to attend regular checkups or promoting age-related screening appointments.

 

Making better lifestyle choices

 

This can be a tricky task, as encouraging people to change their habits and preferences for the good of their health is not always welcome advice.

 

This often relies on the way FNPs use their interpersonal skills to build a relationship of trust with their patients or communities. Once trust is established, they can guide people towards improved diets, sensible eating plans, and local exercise opportunities, for example.

 

Another illustration of the role of FNPs in preventative healthcare strategies would be if they promoted smoking cessation advice at clinics. There are specialist nurse practitioners in the field of substance abuse and rehabilitation too, but many community FNPs also get involved in alcohol and drug education, to improve local health outcomes. 

 

Awareness of areas of concern

 

It is important not to mistake this for ‘scare tactics’ aimed at making patients improve their diets and exercise more. Instead, bringing awareness to areas of concern involves programs that explain why individuals must take their health more seriously and act now.

 

For example, FNPs may highlight risks to respiratory health and educate communities on how walking in the fresh air can help. Another example may be making parents aware of the effect their decisions have on their children’s health, making it vital to provide proper dental care and good nutrition from a young age.

 

FNPs can also have a multi-generational role in the delivery of localized health prevention services. So, they may also be tasked with helping elder members of their community understand what they can do to prevent risks associated with aging, such as falls.

 

Building good community awareness of risks, and ways to avoid them, includes giving patients the knowledge they need to spot early signs of a problem. The relationship FNPs have with their patients also means patients may become more confident about asking questions and getting the help they need before an issue becomes a crisis.

 

Screening and testing

 

FNPs provide continuous and long-term help to their patients, allowing them to deliver individualized healthcare insights, encouragement, and support. This includes promoting access to relevant testing and screening services.

 

Logically, having a well-informed local population in control of its own health outcomes leads to a better uptake of regular or ad hoc screening services delivered in local communities.

 

A great illustration of this is FNPs who support young or first-time mothers navigate vital milestones during pregnancy, birth, and beyond. This could be one of the occasions when FNPs provide home visits, as well as working in a variety of healthcare settings, to monitor and measure progress.

 

Enabling self-management of chronic disease

 

The proactive role of FNPs continues after a patient has a diagnosis or an age-related health condition. They are involved in ensuring that patients have the knowledge they need to self-manage medical issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma.

 

Furthermore, FNPs encourage patients to take full advantage of local services to support them, including regular testing and follow-up treatment options. The FNP will often coordinate and liaise to get as much relevant support as possible, to enable patients to ‘live well’ with chronic illnesses.

The way FNPs deliver continuity of care in their local communities, including helping patients to monitor and measure their health, can be a key factor in avoiding preventable deaths or poor quality of life.

 

Specialist FNPs

 

FNPs can step in throughout a patient’s lifespan with advice and support on their current and developing health needs and risks. Some FNPs specialize in a specific patient segment or type of healthcare provider and play a more focused role in health education and protection. The following are common examples of FNP specialists.

 

Women’s health specialists

 

Some qualified FNPs choose to then specialize in care for women and become Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners (WHNPs). They make female patients aware of medical issues and lifestyle choices that affect their reproductive health, for example. WHNPs help girls and women through their teenage years, adolescence, adulthood, and motherhood, from administering pap smears and breast exams to providing prenatal care and education alongside midwives. This is a role that has an increasing demand as more women worldwide gain their autonomy and knowledge about their bodies. According to the BLS, the WHNP role is expected to see growth of 52% from 2020 to 2030. 

 

Mental health and FNPs

 

Some FNPs may choose to focus on mental health services instead, though all FNPs have some training in this area as standard. Mental health FNPs are alert to cognitive issues during patient assessments and monitoring activities. They also know what questions to ask to enable patients to open up and discuss often sensitive and taboo topics. FNPs can also be the first to step in when a patient is showing initial signs of worsening mental or emotional health.

 

FNPs supporting new nurses

 

FNPs can also choose to take this preventative healthcare role in a slightly different direction. With the training and expertise required to become an FNP, these healthcare professionals often make ideal nurse educators and mentors for future nurses and physicians.

 

FNPs transform healthcare delivery 

 

How FNPs are involved in preventative healthcare shows their substantial impact beyond the needs of each individual patient, family, or neighborhood. By being so heavily involved in managing health risks, protecting patient health, and spreading awareness, FNPs influence the entire healthcare system. Better health for their patients also means less costs for medical services, reduced absenteeism from employment, and potentially stronger local economies. 

 

Ultimately, this is why FNP program graduates end up not only in health protection roles, but are also central to policy making, advocacy, and leadership activities that improve US healthcare in general.