Defining Risk in Home Visiting

Abstract

Risks associated with home visiting have been acknowledged in the nursing literature since the 19th century, yet there is not a well-defined body of literature on this subject. This void in the literature needs to be addressed in view of the current emphasis on practice in the community and the increase in the number of nurses and other health professionals that are new to the field who currently make visits. This article explores how different disciplines define risk and risk taking, identifies attributes of those who become involved in risk situations, and proposes the Cognitive-Perceptual Model of Risk in Home Visiting (CPMRHV) for community and public health nursing. The CPMRHV model provides a framework for identifying how field workers (FWs) perceive, assess, and evaluate situations relative to risk and suggests the development of policies and procedures to empower them and to assure the quality of care.

Perception of risk of coronary heart disease among Jordanians

“…It is influenced by beliefs, attitudes and values, cultural sensitivity and personality attributes such as the self-concept and sense of coherence (Antonovsky 1987). Perception of risk is subjective and relates to the probability of an adverse event and refers to the degree to which a situation poses a threat to an individual along a continuum from no risk to high risk (Kendra & George 2001). Nurses and other health care workers tend to assume that patients have the same explanatory systems as theirs.…”

Assessing Risk of Falling in Older Adults

“…Risk factors reflect the multidimensionality of the construct of risk. The interplay of these factors, and their outcomes, depends on actions and decisions made by clients, caregivers, and health care professionals as they respond to potential threats to personal safety (Kendra & George, 2001). A fall is a sudden, unintentional change in position causing an individual to land at a lower level (on an object, the floor, or the ground) other than as a consequence of sudden onset of paralysis, epileptic seizure, or overwhelming external force (Feder, Cryer, & Donovan, 2000; Tinetti, Baker, Dutcher, Vincent, & Rozett, 1997).…”

Does Public Health Nurse Home Visitation Make a Difference in the Health Outcomes of Pregnant Clients and Their Offspring?

“…The ''other'' category included the diverse refugee and immigrant populations of the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County, such as Iraqi, Bosnian, and Russian. Because it has been shown (Korfmacher, O'Brien, Hiatt, & Olds, 1999) that persons of minority population groups often experience poorer health outcomes than do their majority population counterparts, it appeared that services were appropriately focused and efficacious in reaching minorities (Harmon, 1998;Kendra & George, 2001).…”