NRS 428 Topic 1: Community/Public Health Nursing

Topic 1: Community/Public Health Nursing Objectives:

1. Examine the role of the community/public health nurse.
2. Evaluate the role of community stakeholders as client and community partners.
3. Discuss the aspects of health promotion in nursing care of populations.
4. Explain the importance of community resources to planning an intervention.

Topic 1 DQ 1- Topic 1: Community/Public Health Nursing

Explain the role of the community health nurse in partnership with community stakeholders for population health promotion. Explain why it is important to appraise community resources (nonprofit, spiritual/religious, etc.) as part of a community assessment and why these resources are important in population health promotion.

The role of the community health nurse in partnership wit community stakeholders for population health promotion is focused and requires knowledge, competencies and skill. Their role extends beyond sick, care to encompass advocacy, community organizing, health education and political and social reform. They focus on primary prevention and health promotion. Their practice is in diverse settings including but not limited to community nursing centers, home health agencies, housing developments, local and state health departments, neighborhood centers, parishes, school health programs and worksite and occupational health programs (ojin.nursingworld.org).

Community resources is anything that has a potential to improve the quality of life in a community. Nurses can conduct an assessment of the community by using the nursing process, and thereby identifying and analyzing the problem areas, health disparities, and resources for a population. This provides insight into the conditions in which the population lives, works, and plays. By working with community stakeholders, which includes spiritual groups, the nurse can make a difference in the health of larger groups (lc.gcumedia.com). Spiritual groups play an important role in providing resources/services to those in need, example of this is Catholic Charities.

Community assessment is the process of identifying the strength, assets, needs and challenges of a specified community. Assets refer to the skills, talents and abilities of individuals as well as resources that local institution contribute to the community. These resources are important in population health promotion because it aims to empower individuals and community to choose healthy behaviors and make changes that reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

References

Community and Public Health: The Future of Health Care. Retrieved from: 

Evolving Public Health Nurse Role: Focus on Community Participatory Health Promotions and Prevention (2012). Retrieved from: 

Re: Topic 1 DQ 2- Topic 1: Community/Public Health Nursing

Discuss how geopolitical and phenomenological place influence the context of a population or community assessment and intervention. Describe how the nursing process is utilized to assist in identifying health issues (local or global in nature) and in creating an appropriate intervention, including screenings and referrals, for the community or population

The geopolitical community is a geographic or geopolitical area or place. The more traditional view of community study is precisely this. The geopolitical communities are formed by natural or man-made boundaries. A river, a mountain range or a valley can create a natural limit. The limits made by man can be structural, political or legal. Streets, bridges or railways can create structural limits. The city, county or state lines create legal limits. Political boundaries can be exemplified by the districts of Congress or the school district.

A phenomenological community can be considered as an assembly of individuals who share the same points of view, relationships, values, interests, beliefs and objectives. Geographic boundaries do not necessarily have to be shared in a phenomenological community. Religious, cultural and social groups are excellent examples of phenomenological community because their values ​​and beliefs differentiate them from other groups. We all live in a geopolitical community and most of us are part of many phenomenological communities.

Public health nurses have to face certain challenges while working with different communities. One of the main problems is the language and the cultural barrier. The public health nurse works in collaboration with other professionals. To overcome the challenges, some of the best practices to ensure continued competencies include peer review, reflective practice, goal setting, self-assessment, obtaining knowledge from different cultures and practices.

References:

(Green, S. 2019). Community and Public Health: The Future of Health Care. Populations as Clients. Retrieved from, https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/1 Topic 1: Community/Public Health Nursing Essays