Reply to this post with a reflection on the response about how the advanced practice nurse can play a role in improving the health of young adults through preventive screening and intervention. Word limit 250 words. Please make sure to provide citations and references (in APA, 7th ed. format) for your work within the last 5 years published. No plagiarism, please.
Advanced practice registered nurses(APRNs) must come out in their numbers to ensure a safe transition from adolescence to adulthood by the youths in society. The youth undergo many challenges from social vices, such as drug abuse, mental health issues, homicide, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections (Leader et al., 2020). Advanced practice nurses are professionally informed to carry out their respective duties to ensure the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses inflicting the members of society. Some of these roles can be generalized into health promotion services that ensure the management of diseases and health education.
Role of APRN in Youth Care
Education Service
APRNs are mandated to offer free educational services to adolescents and the youth. Adolescents are among the vulnerable population in society and thus requires immediate interventions to ensure they do not continue to suffer. However, this stage is full of developmental issues, including low self-esteem. Youth always feel that society is harsh on them and primarily judges their behaviors (Sieving et al., 2020). The APRN’s role is to research the challenges affecting the youth, such as drug abuse, and offer evidence-based advisory services to inform youth about the impact of such negative behaviors. For example, the APRNS should develop education plans to address the mental health challenges that affect the youth. It is imperative to inform the youth about the symptoms and treatment interventions. Creating such awareness among the youth is very important since they will identify among themselves some of the symptoms relating to the mental health challenges, such as anxiety, low mood, and loneliness, which are some of the primary causes of increased vehicle accidents.
Creation of immunization Centres
Advanced practice registered nurses have been instrumental in offering vaccination and immunization services to the youth. Some commonly immunized diseases among the youth include; diphtheria, tuberculosis, poliovirus, Human Papilloma Virus(HPV), and Hepatitis B. The APRNs, therefore, involve themselves in primary healthcare and collaborate with the community health personnel to combat these infectious diseases among the youth. APRNs working in the pediatric units can work together with adolescents to create awareness that will increase vaccination rates (Thomas et al., 2023). The APRN should create immunization centers in rural areas reporting lower vaccination rates. The low number of youths vaccinated against some infectious diseases, such as diphtheria, results from skepticism among the residents who feel the vaccines are unsafe, thus increasing the number of youths who are highly susceptible to diseases, which should not be the case.
Treatment and diagnosis of healthcare
APRNs are the leading advocates for safe and quality care. They practice through various activities that facilitate an evidence-based care approach. APRNs act as nursing leaders to the clinical nurses. Providing a supervisory role to these clinical nurses is one of the best practices in nursing that ensures safe and quality care. Supporting the clinical nurses to ensure that they work in a conducive environment is critical in adequately treating and diagnosing diseases affecting the youth (Thomas et al., 2023). For instance, APRNs always advocate for applying evidence-based approaches in offering care to adolescents.
Youths are suffering greatly from the fear of the unknown. Many suffer from STIs such as Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, and other STDs that can easily be preventable through early and proper screening services. The APRNs must develop adequate interventions, including promotions services such as providing incentives to convene adolescents to screen against STIs. They can also involve testing reminders on theory telephones and social media (Thomas et al., 2023). The current technology in the 21st century is beneficial in enhancing nursing interventions. The use of Telehealth services by APRNs has facilitated timely medical treatment and screening during COVID-19.
Offering public health advisory
Besides educating the youth about the common challenges affecting them, APRNs are also public health advisors. They advocate for proper healthcare services for the youth based on their needs. A good APRN should conduct a community health analysis of a specific population and provide necessary recommendations to address their health needs (Sieving et al., 2020). The APRNs also act as the links between the federal government and the community. As a public health advocate, the APRN should always push the government to increase its funding for critical public health concerns affecting the youth, such as drug abuse and unwanted pregnancies. These funds will play a more significant role in training programs and the publication of source materials that address such health concerns.
References
Leader, G., Tuohy, E., Chen, J. L., Mannion, A., & Gilroy, S. P. (2020). Feeding problems, gastrointestinal symptoms, challenging behavior, and sensory issues in children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(4), 1401–1410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04357-7
Sieving, R. E., Mehus, C., Catallozzi, M., Grilo, S., Steiner, R. J., Brar, P., Gewirtz O’Brien, J. R., Gorzkowski, J., Kaseeska, K., Kelly, E. D., Klein, J. D., McRee, A.-L., Randazzo, L., & Santelli, J. (2020). Understanding Primary Care Providers’ perceptions and practices in implementing confidential adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(4), 569–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.03.035
Thomas, C., Ramirez, A. P., Alderfer, M. A., Patton, S. R., Carakushansky, M., & Enlow, P. T. (2023). Telehealth and type 1 diabetes care during COVID-19: Perceptions from the youth of color, caregivers, and health care providers. Diabetes Spectrum. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds22-0053
