The primary goal of public health nursing is promoting health and preventing disease within the community, so it’s essential that nurses understand how to gather and assess demographic information to diagnose the local needs of the population and to consider that information when developing a health improvement plan (Nies & McEwan, 2015). The assignment this week is to gather statistics from the local county, the state, and national databases and analyze the findings to identify actual or potential areas of concern in the community. It is sobering to compare the Franklin County data to state and national statistics. Almost all of the demographic information highlights that our community is less healthy when compared to the state and the …show more content…
Ensuring that demographic information is accurate, assists in identifying needs, as well as planning and prioritizing nursing intervention. In Franklin County, our needs include obesity, mental illness, chronic illness and infant mortality. Nurses in local organizations should collaborate with other agencies to develop initiatives to encourage the public to adopt healthy living habits and to provide health screenings and access to health care providers. The goal should be to decrease the elevated demographics until they are at or below state and national …show more content…
A priority for public health. Retrieved from https://www.columbus.gov/publichealth/programs/infant-mortality-overview/ Crane, M. (2015, September 22). Ohio remains one of the nation’s most obese states. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved from http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/09/21/Ohio-remains-one-of-nations-most-obese-states.html Nies, M.A. & McEwan, M. (2015). Health a community view. In Community/public health nursing: promoting the health of populations (6th ed.) (p. 1). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (n.d.). Risk and protective factors. Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/capt/practicing-effective-prevention/prevention-behavioral-health/risk-protective-factors Wexner Medical Center (n.d.-a). Identified health needs: Infant mortality. Retrieved from https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/about-us/our-community/community-health-needs-assessment Wexner Medical Center (n.d.-b). Identified health needs: Chronic disease. Retrieved from https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/about-us/our-community/community-health-needs-assessment
Strasser, Judith A., Shirley Damrosch, and Jacquelyn Gaines. Journal of Community Health Nursing. 2. 8. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1991. 65-73. Print.
Reviewing previously conducted county health assessments and reports is also important in evaluating the trend of the issue over the past few years. Conducting semi-structured individual interviews with key stakeholders from the community, senior Police Officer from Atlanta Police Department, Officer B. Mathew, and the Nurse Manager of Emory Rehabilitation Hospital, Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas, helped to gather data in an informal environment to obtain the most productive responses regarding their professional perspective of the priority community health issues.13 Finally, using creative tools such as windshield survey of the streets of Fulton county and photovoice of the houses and living environment of the certain areas in the county helps to identify and explore the community, its needs, its strengths, and its priority concerns through visual observations and
According to Allender, Rector, and Warner (2014), public health is a combination of both an art and a science (2014). The mission of public health nursing is to promote health, prevent disease and ultimately prolong life (Allender et al., 2014). In order for this to occur an assessment must take place. An aggregate or community assessment begins with a collection of data. This includes: the community’s health needs, risks, environmental conditions, financial resources through local census data, and a windshield survey (Allender et al., 2014). Through public health nursing, communities can collectively come together to help promote an overall better health standing.
Self- care abilities of individuals and communities are important to promote mental and physical health and to reduce mortality and morbidity that occur from accidental injuries and chronic conditions (Dillion, 1997). Lifestyle changes have an effect on health prevention and delay of diseases and health problems. Dillion states if nurses use strategies from community nursing and objects from Healthy People 2000 they can identify threats to health promote and maintain health. Dillion states a key strategy is a health fair (Dillion,
As a health care provider Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) should be actively involved in working towards eliminating disparities. APRNs should conduct research to determine the health disparities in their community by utilizing the state and local database for the Department of Health. The APRNs need to report the findings to local health care providers, and political leaders, then initiate change based on the findings.
Wilson, Susan. (2009). Health Assessment for Nursing Practice (5th ed., pp. 520-521). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
"Toward a Method for Identifying Facilities and Communities with Shortages of Nurses." Health Resourses and Services Administration. 2004. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 5 Dec. 2012 .
Diagnosing and investigating health problems and health hazards in the community. Informing, educating and empowering the people about health issues. Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems. Health assessments also develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts. They also enforce laws and regulations that help protect health and ensure safety (Thivierge, 2016). Assessments link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable. Public health assessments can help to assure the public of the competency of the public health and personal health care workforce. These assessments evaluate effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal and population-based health services (Thivierge,
Nurses around the world collaborate with various providers and partners to address multiple challenges in the community. With emphasize on health promotion and disease prevention, nurses have an important role in delivering nursing services in the community and in the home. Challenges that impact the overall health of the community can arise from unequal access to health care or lack of insurance causing individuals do not receive healthcare. However, all nurses can help improve health outcomes and help to prevent and manage diseases. With the help of community health nurses, public health nurses, and home health nurses, the ability to provide safe and effective care for all sectors of health is possible.
Patient-Centered Care is a vital step for the underserved populations. In the clinical practice attention, and focus should be priority for these disadvantage patients. As a nurse educator, I should take a proactive role to to improve the health of America's underserved populations. participating in support group will enhance the care to serve the underserved population. In United states there is a disparity in the health of racial , ethnic groups, minorities, and African Americans. Most of the underserved population lives in underserved rural areas. These population lack access for health care, because their poverty, low income, and less access to transportations. Serving in shortage area is sacred mission for health care provider. Nursing role in the underserved areas has a dominant factor to reduce children mortality rate, and reduce elderly diseases. It is an opportunity to address all the barriers that prevent this special group for health care access. It is the real challenging for nurses to use the utmost knowledge, and explore new ideas that need further investigations.
During one of my undergraduate courses, “Community and Population Health”, I completed a paper on my community and access to healthcare. During the research and community outreach performed to meet the goals of the paper, my eyes were opened to the plight of small communities in regards to access to quality healthcare. This plight has become my passion, and has formed the basis for my vision of the Family Nurse Practitioner role.
“A public health nurse is a nurse who works to promote and protect the health of an entire population” (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2010, p. 839) the public health nurse I chose to interview was Barbara, she currently works for the Health department and has been there for three years. During the interview Barbara discussed the requirements for a public health nurse. The individual must have the ability to exercise independent judgment, planning and able to administer safe effective public nursing care. In addition be able to work effectively with individuals and families to assist them in the satisfactory solution of health problems, by recognizing and respecting of different cultural, ethnic and difference on health care practices. The nurse is also required to know disease prevention such as, different techniques on teaching, counseling, interviewing and resources available. Barbara stated that the most important part of being a public health nurse is being able to care. Barbara acknowledged that there are numerous individuals that she assists everyday that just want someone to exhibit that they care and understand. The education a public health nurse should obtain is a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which Barbara posses. “Public health nurses working with specific populations or in administration position should hold a master’s degree” ( Allender et al., 2010, p.839). Barbara discussed that before becoming a public health nurse she worked at St. Francis Hospital as med-surge nurse for five years, after that it was imperative that she change working environment. Barbara confirmed that working as a nurse in the hospital was extremely diverse then working as public health nurse. “Comparing public health nurse and general nurse, public health nursing is population based, focuses on the greater good, health promotion and disease prevention, and utilizes community resources. The general nursing is individual based, focuses on individual good, restoration of health and function, and manage resources at hand” (Minnesota Department of Health, 2007). In the beginning Barbara thought that public health nursing would be a difficult job to gain knowledge of however, she established that it was exceptionally effortless and gratifying career to posses. Barbara stated that she did not realize how much assistance was out there for the public until; she worked as public health nurse. Barbara spends 95% of her day going from place to place by doing home visits, investigating different cases, assisting with screening programs and enormous amount of paper work.
Harkness, G. A. & Demarco, R. (2012). Community and public health nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The purpose of this community profile is to discuss a particular health improvement issue within a chosen community. A community can be defined using many different terms. You can belong to a community through religious beliefs. Through shared experiences or interests. You can belong to a political community where all involved share the same political interests. A community can also be defined as ‘a family’ a small village where many have lived most of their lives who share the same desire to belong to that community.
2. What course concepts from the course textbook or nursing research from community health/public health nursing journals did I use and apply to nursing practice during this rotation?