Nurse home visiting: Perspectives from nurses

• Published in: Infant mental health journal Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 41 - 54
• Main Authors: Zeanah, Paula D., Larrieu, Julie A., Boris, Neil W., Nagle, Geoffrey A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2006; Wiley
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Mental health; Organization of mental health. Health systems; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Social environment; Human; Sanitary program; Health staff; Mental health; Prevention; Health staff family relation; Cooperation; At home; Family environment; Child; Public health; Nurse
• ISSN: 0163-9641; 1097-0355
• DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20079

Nurses working in the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) program provide intensive home‐visitation services for first‐time, low‐income mothers. The goals are to improve maternal health outcomes, child health and development outcomes, and to enhance maternal life‐course development; however, many of the families face significant psychosocial and mental health issues that can impede progress achieving their goals. Because of the importance of the nurse–client relationship in achieving positive outcomes, these non‐mental‐health nurses must shift their approaches and techniques from a medical to a psychosocial model. In this article, we examine the role of the nurse in the NFP and present results of focus groups with experienced NFP nurses regarding their perspectives, challenges, and rewards in conducting this work.