Health Care for Women

To provide optimum care to women, nurses need to understand some of the social, historical, and political factors that have influenced women and women's health care.

Abstract

To provide optimum care to women, nurses need to understand some of the social, historical, and political factors that have influenced women and women's health care. Nurses, as consumers and providers of health care, play a central role in the women's health-care movement by providing education, support, and counseling. Although educational topics are vital, even more important is the way nurses communicate caring, support the woman in decision making, and mobilize available support persons. To provide women's health care, nurses must first do a nursing assessment, which involves gathering physiological, psychosocial, and cognitive data. A sample women's health-care assessment is outlined.