PrefaceWhilst much emphasis in the training of health professionals is in the clinical setting [that is, hospitals or general practises], visits to patients homes can provide invaluable clues as to their current condition and possible future problems. However, the extent to which the advantages of home visits are realised depends heavily upon the skill of the health practitioner. To investigate the role and effectiveness of health care practitioners in various health care settings, I travelled to Yanjibup Community Health Care Centre and observed the consultations between them and mothers.
Case Study - Patients/ClientDuring my first visit, Ms Jo Daly was travelling to patients homes. These patients had all given birth within the last 2 weeks.
The first home we went to was located in the suburb of Success, a new housing estate. Many of the homes in this area are owned by young families [In general, the owners are approximately 30 years of age].
Health care systems and universal health care
Health care systems
A plot of SIDS rate from 1988 to 2006The family Ms Daly and I visited were no exception - the husband and wife were roughly 30-35 years old, with only the one child. The husband works as a radiologist and the wife is a nurse. They appeared at ease with the task of raising an infant [working in the health care industry probably helped significantly] and the husband was close to his wife during the consultation. This connoted a strong family environment and most probably, an optimal environment for the infant to develop in. Even though this seemed to be an excellent environment to raise an infant, there were still some health issues present.
The concerns the mother raised during the consultation concerned both herself and the infant. Firstly, she said that she had noted the milk production from her breasts had decreased. This abnormal as the baby was still feeding and was quite...