Family Nurse Contact is an activity with or on behalf of a particular family or individual.

It is a
crucial approach in delivering community health nursing service for the family through:

 Home visit
 Clinic visit
 Group Conference
 Telephone Contact
 Written Communication
Objectives of Family Nurse Contact:
1. To assess the health needs and problems of the family utilizing a multidisciplinary
approach
2. To ensure family’s understanding and acceptance of their problems
3. To provide the needed support and assistance of the family
4. To develop the individuals and/or family’s competence to cope in their health problems
5. To contribute to the personal and social development of the family through varied health
activities
METHODS OF FAMILY NURSE CONTACT
CLINIC VISIT
The nurse is able to help the family meet their needs, ease their anxieties and help them decide
on what to do to promote and maintain their health.

Advantages Disadvantages
1. Conserves nursing time and effort. 1. Family would be less at ease in
2. Resource persons and consultants are expressing their problems.
nearby to assist the family. 2. Going to the clinic would be difficult
3. Availability of teaching materials and for client/family, physically or
other facilities. financially.
4. Provides an opportunity for the 3. Does not allow for first-hand
family’s self-development. information about home situations.
5. Provides more privacy for 4. Difficult for the nurse to schedule their
conferences. activities.
6. Outside distraction is minimized. 5. Conditions in the home sometimes
neglected.

HOME VISIT
It is a professional contact made by a nurse to the client or family to provide necessary health
care activities and further attain an objective of the health agency.
 Advantages Disadvantages
1. Opportunity to assess the family and 1. No opportunity for the families to
home situation. share experiences with others.
2. Opportunity to seek out new health 2. Distractions at home may make
problems. instructions difficult.
3. The nurse can assist and supervise the 3. Time consuming and costly on the part
family on how to render nursing care of the nurse.
to the sick family member.
4. Permits teaching in the actual
situation.
5. Family Is more at ease in discovering
their problems.
6. Family is more confident in a
personalized service.

GROUP CONFERENCE
The nurse can obtain the essential information to enhance the community health nursing service
for the people in the community.

Advantages Disadvantages
1. It provides an opportunity for the 1. Individual problems may get lost in the
members of the group to share group discussion, either because the
experiences and to help one another. individual is too shy to bring them out
The potential self-help maybe higher or because the problem is not
than that of expert help by common to others in the group and
professional staff. therefore of no interest to them.
2. It may stimulate leadership among 2. The outcomes of group work is based
members of the group. Families come on majority, other problems of the
to realize their competencies when group may differ greatly.
they see in the ‘light of helping others’. 3. Those who need service most must
3. It provides an opportunity for not take advantage of opportunities
consideration of practical and tested for group work in general, those
solutions discussed. already highly motivated tend to
4. It provides an opportunity to verbalize respond most often to group
thoughts, feelings and concern. opportunities.
5. It provides an opportunity to practice
problem solving approach to health
problems.
TELEPHONE CALLS
This will facilitate an easy access to communicate with the family.

Advantages Disadvantages
1. It is inexpensive in time and usually in 1. It does not afford the nurse a full
cost, both for the service and the opportunity to judge the situation he
family. cannot see either the home conditions
2. It permits more frequent contact at or the small nonverbal reactions in the
the most desirable time, despite client that might indicate stress or
pressures of other work. failure to understand.
3. It relieves the family of hostess 2. Some who must need frequent
burdens which might be a problem in contact with the nurse will not have
home visits. access to the telephone.
4. It is more personal than a written
communication.
5. It provides a valuable screening device
for deciding which of the several
situations require home visit.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
This is the least individualized. The teaching materials sent with a covering personal note
commonly sent to a school child.

Advantages Disadvantages
1. Low cost 1. It gives no opportunity to assess
2. For the competent, independent accurately the family situation.
family, the advantage of placing 2. It might not reach the person for
responsibility for action on the family whom it is intended.
rather upon the nurse. 3. It provides no opportunity to uncover
or help with the problems other than
the one immediately under
consideration.