HealthCare Term Paper

Question

Preventative Strategies for the Developmental Stage: Infant 

1. Research and discuss the topic utilizing recent/relevant articles from Nursing Journals (not the internet, textbooks or Wikipedia) 2.Discuss your reactions as you develop further knowledge about the topic 3.Compare and contrast your expectations about this topic with the actual information you learned 4.Reflect on what you think the client experience would be as a recipient of this knowledge 5. Would this information be helpful knowledge for a layperson?

Answer

Title: Preventative Strategies for the Developmental Stage: Infant

Infants are those babies who are less than one year old. During the infancy development stage, there are many preventative strategies that should be put in place in order to ensure that the well-being of young ones is safeguarded. There are different ecological contexts within which the preventative strategies should be undertaken. The main ones are individual, family, community and socio-cultural contexts (Squires, 2006).

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In the family context, there are many activities that are of preventative nature, depending on the things against which the infant is being protected. Infants face many risks in the family setting, such as fire, diseases, and malnourishment. All these risks can be avoided through preventative strategies. Ordinarily, the preventative measures adopted against one risk also act as protection against many other different risks. For instance, water safety is necessary for ensuring that infants do not suffer from water-borne diseases.  At the same time, it prevents children from facing the risk of drowning or experiencing scalds.

Safety for infants is also needed with regard to where they sleep. Cribs are safe places for children to sleep. In such environments, risks of falling off the bed and onto the floor are non-existent. Moreover, the use of approved child restraints is necessary. These restraints include booster seats and safety seats.

I think that within the family context, the most important this is for the home environment to be maintained under the right safety standards. In this regard, I would expect various measures to be undertaken in the entire environment. I think some training may be necessary in order for parents to learn how to take care of environmental preventative strategies in the best manner. Water temperatures should always be low, poisonous plants should be removed, Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms should be installed, and furniture corners should be padded. Moreover, fall hazards should be minimized at all costs while cabinets should be locked at all times.

Other preventatives measures for infants in the family setting include the use of window guards, removal of access to firearms, as well as the use of fire safe clothing, prescriptions, alcohol, and poisons. It is also a good habit to never leave an infant in the car under any circumstances. Most of the prevention mechanisms put in place within the family setting, such as carbon monoxide detectors, may require a monthly check. Moreover, the counsel of policymakers should often be sought in matters of infant safety at home.

Preventative strategies for infants also need to be applied in the ecological context of the community. The strategies that need to be put in place, in this case, include increased access to prenatal as well as postnatal care services, access to skills and training on parenting, and provision of home visit services, particularly to high-risk families. In the community context, it is possible for a parent to get information on how to assess hazards and make safety changes at home. Childcare advice can also be obtained on how safety guidelines and standards are to be followed.

In the socio-cultural ecological context, there are many preventative measures that require to be adopted in order to ensure that infants are free from any forms of danger. First, new parents need to take parenting classes. All educational programs and materials should be socially, culturally, linguistically and ethnically appropriate for use in a given community. the methods of upbringing that are adopted should also highlight and respect the prevailing community differences.

Furthermore, product safety standards for infants can best be maintained from a socio-cultural perspective. Data sharing is also a key aspect of ensuring that infants are always safe. The data shared should reflect the purpose of prevention as well as various issues that need special attention in order for the safety needs of infants to be met.

There is also a need for preventative strategies to be focused on the role of mother-infant interaction during the infant stage. This interaction can give many hints on the ways in which hazards and dangers can be done away with in order to ensure that the infant is always safe. The individuality of the new infant tends to be influenced in a powerful way by the mother in the way he responds to his environment.

Parents should develop a tendency to adopt objective approaches in their observation of their young ones during early infancy. Hospitalization trends may be indicative of the level of care that parents are offering their infants (Fonagy, 2008). Both the global and differential stages require special preventative measures from the parents. Between these stages, an infant experiences the differentiation of the self and the environment. This transition takes place in a continuous form, making it difficult for the differences in the two stages to be clearly discernible.

Preventative strategies also need to be fine-tuned and then adjusted in response to the distinct meanings that infants attach to the environment, based on their age. Maternal deprivation is a serious error of omission that mothers should avoid (DiGuiseppi& Roberts, 2007). During infancy, the emotional connection between the infant and the mother represents a crucial stage in their development process. The safety measures that are adopted should reflect this close emotional proximity.

During the infancy developmental stage, preventative strategies contribute greatly to the reduction of childhood psychopathology. As the recipient of this knowledge, the client may find it difficult to find this connection. Even to me, the reality is that there is a temptation to disagree with this view entirely. Yet this view contributes greatly to the increase in the use of the notions of prevention during infancy.

            It is often argued that increased knowledge of developmental pathways that are involved in different psychological disorders opens up doors to different prevention initiatives. I am convinced that the same case applies to enlightenment in all other areas of preventative strategies that involve infants.  It is upon parents to ensure that as many areas of enlightenment on preventative strategies are covered in order to ensure the complete safety of their infants.

            The cycle of interactions that parents build with their children is a key determinant of the level of prevention that they subconsciously offer their infants during their first year of life. Three modalities are critical for the development of the ideal strategies: enhancement of attachment security, early parent training, and facilitation of the reflective function development (Ulione, 2007). I consider it essential for all parents to be aware of all these three strategic elements for the benefit of their infants. I think that the recipient of these messages would become aware of even other areas of preventative strategies, such as mental, emotional, physical and social wellbeing. 

References

DiGuiseppi, C. & Roberts, I. (2007) Individual-Level Injury Prevention Strategies in the Clinical Setting, The Future of Children, 10(1), 53-82.

Fonagy, P. (2008) Prevention, the appropriate target of infant psychotherapy, Infant Mental Health Journal, 19(2), 124–150.

Squires, J. (2006) Early Detection of Developmental Problems: Strategies for Monitoring Young Children in the Practice Setting, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 17(6), 420-427.

Ulione,M. (2007) Preschool injuries in child care centers: Nursing strategies for prevention, Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 11(3), 111-116.

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