Family as System
Family as System
· The family as a whole is the patient. The focus is on the individual and the family simultaneously.
· Interactions between family members become the target for nursing interventions.
· Emphasis is on the interactions between the family members.
· Runs on the theory that when something happens to one part of the system, the other parts of the system are affected as well (if one member of the family becomes ill, then the other members of the family are affected as well). For example, when a child is diagnosed with cancer, the nurse may ask the father, what has changed between you and your wife since the diagnosis? How has this devastating diagnosis affected this child’s siblings?
**For the Approaches to Family Nursing Assignment, describe how the family interacts with one another when one family member becomes ill. Describe the types of interactions that occur such as one family member is in denial, one family member is crying and panicking, one family member becomes the caregiver, and so forth. Base your answer on your practice or your personal experience.
