Roles of Community Nurse Practitioners in Promoting Self care and Coping Strategies of Older Adults with NCDs and COVID-19 in a Community

Abstract

Older adults diagnosed with Covid-19 are considered a vulnerable group requiring specialized care due to their complex health problems resulting from comorbidities. These conditions include both physical and mental health issues that significantly impact their daily activities and may necessitate readmission to the hospital. Living in the Covid-19 pandemic situation can be a contributing factor leading to increased stress and the encounter of various challenges. Families and communities play a crucial role in caring for older adults diagnosed with Covid-19. Nurses assume a major responsibility by supporting families and communities to actively engage in the care of older adults with non-communicable diseases who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the community, ensuring adherence to safety standards, promoting recovery, and reducing mortality among this vulnerable group. This article aims to 1) review the care guidelines and roles of community nurse practitioners in providing care for older adults with non-communicable diseases who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, and 2) analyze a case study of an older adult with non-communicable disease, who was diagnosed with Covid-19. 

The care guidelines and roles of community nurse practitioners in providing care for older adults with non-communicable diseases and Covid-19 diagnosis focus on health service management concerning characteristics of patients and care systems, care processes, and desired outcomes. These are in accordance with the recommendations of the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, for managing patients during their hospital stay. The guidelines cover patient symptoms with different conditions, discharge plan, as well as Long Covid care and end-of-life care. The analysis of the case study included reviews of the health problems, patient coping strategies, and the roles of community nurse practitioners in developing patient care plans during and after treatment, with the application of self-care theory by creating a nursing system for patients and families according to the three nursing systems: wholly compensatory nursing system, partly compensatory nursing system, and supportive-educative nursing system. Nurses provide knowledge through five nursing activities: acting for or doing for, guiding, supporting, teaching, and providing supportive environment to enable patients and families for self-care.