The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community/Public Health Nurse
Walden University
NURS 4010 Section 04, Family, Community, and Population-Based Care
10 / 21 / 2012
The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community/Public Health Nurse
Overview
Public health, a population-centered nursing had been in existence since the late 1880s under the guise of different names. The focus of public health nursing was on sanitation, communicable disease control, disease prevention and disability, and education. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the history of public health nursing and how it impacts the practice of nursing in the community.
History of Public Health Nursing
In the
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The core functions of the public health nurse are three folds; assessment, policy development, and assurance. The nurse collects data, identifies potential hazards in the environment, and monitors the health status of the population. The nurse uses scientific knowledge base in decision making about policies that support the health of the population. In his or her role, the nurse informs, educates, and empowers the community regarding health issues. To provide essential health services, the nurse ensures that competent public health and personnel are available. Also quality of services that are provided are monitored for better outcomes. Health planning that includes early intervention and primary prevention is ensured. Laws and regulations are also enforced to protect health and safety of the population. In relation to the core functions, in 1994, Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) developed ten essential public health services to provide a working definition and guidance framework for local public health services. They include monitoring, diagnosing and investigating, mobilizing enforcing, linking, evaluating, and researching.
Impact on Nursing Practice
The health of the general population in the community is the goal of the public health nurse. The nurse strives to prevent the outbreak of
Burkhardt, M. & Nathaniel, A. (2008). Ethics & issues: In contemporary nursing, (3rd ed.) Clifton Park, NJ: Delmar
Health history of a patient is an important tool in identifying health issues and devising efficient interventions to address them. Hence, health providers can use health history information to diagnose, treat and plan for the care of the patients (Ball et al., 2006). In that light, we will focus on the patient named BB for purposes of privacy and confidentiality. BB is a 70-year-old Caucasian female. The patient resides and recently just moved to Show Low, Arizona. She is married and operates her business with the help of her husband. The interview was conducted at her home in Show Low, Arizona. More importantly, the patient's consent was sought before this meeting and she was assured of the confidentiality of the information shared
Community health nurses face many concerns that can create environmental and global health issues. In history, humans have battled many health epidemics, from as early as the black plague, to polio, and more recent issues of measles, small pox, and HIV/AIDS. Many vaccines have been created and billions of lives have been saved, but there is still many unimmunized. Communities worldwide are at risk for many communicable diseases and should be prepared and knowledgeable about their community’s risks, protocols, and how to keep their community members safe.
This paper will explore a community health concern from a population focused nursing perspective. The health concern will be a relevant and validated health concern for the community indicated. The relevancy was determined by the Health People 2020 (HP2020) health indicators and the validation of the concern was compared to past objectives being met and current objectives working forward, and the gap in satisfying the target goals set forth ("2020 Topics & Objectives – Objectives A-Z | Healthy People 2020," 2015). A major force in the community of concern is the Kern County Public Health
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2012). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (8th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsev
The roal of public health nursing is to promote and protect the health of the population. This proactive approach does not limit their scope of practice to health concerns of individuals but also to developing and implementing programs and policies that help enhance the health of populations. The role of public health nurses is to focus on population centered care with the outcome of promoting health, preventing disability and disease, and improving the quality of life. An effective public health nurse is able to evaluate assessment data to define population diagnoses and set priorities accordingly. They can also serve as advocates for individuals and families in the population to develop policies, access resources, and protect their
Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2015). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.
Community health nurses find out information about the community’s involvement and knowledge. They use their clinical understanding and experience to bring information to the community’s about different health issues in that area. For example if HIV was increasing in their area they would collect the numbers and data and bring it to the attention of other health care agencies to bring
Ethical issues in nursing will always be an ongoing learning process. Nurses are taught in nursing school what should be done and how. Scenarios are given on tests with one right answer. However, there are situations that nurses may encounter that may have multiple answers and it is hard to choose one. “Ethical directives are not always clearly evident and people sometimes disagree about what is right and wrong” (Butts & Rich, 2016). When an ethical decision is made by a nurse, there must be a logical justification and not just emotions.
Ethics is an essential aspect of health care practice and those working in the nursing profession are often subject to frequent ethical dilemmas. It is essential for all nurses to be aware of the importance of ethics in health care and to practice within the ethico-legal parameters that govern the profession. However, while this is relatively easy in theory, ethics is not a black and white subject and often one’s culture, upbringing, attitudes and beliefs can influence what one views as ethical and this can therefore influence practice. This report will discuss the importance of ethics in nursing practice. The definition of ethics will firstly be presented followed
I believe that as a nurse we are to serve our community by providing education of preventative health care, information about community agencies and health care resources. I believe that as a health care professional I should participate in local health screenings
Butts, J.B and Rich,K., (2013,March 1). Ethics in professional nursing care. 3rd Edition. Jones and Bartlett.
Public health nurses "play a strategic role in helping reduce environmental and lifestyle-related health hazards by promoting a positive lifestyle, including exercise, stress management, accident prevention, weight maintenance, and nutrition education that is sensitive to socio-economic status and cultural beliefs” ("Obesity's Impact on Public Health Nursing," n.d.). Nurses can help by involving themselves in policy development by being active participants in the policy process as it closely resembles the nursing process. Through community assessments, public health nurses can determine health factors by assessing the socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors of the population to determine interventions
Directions: Refer to the Milestone 1: Health History guidelines and grading rubric found in Doc Sharing to complete the information below. This assignment is worth 175 points, with 5 points awarded for clarity of writing, which means the use of proper grammar, spelling and medical language.
Public health strategies and interventions have changed drastically over time. Bloodletting is one of the most ancient forms of medical interventions. It originated in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece, persisting through the Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment periods (PBS). Doctors used the bloodletting method for every ailment imaginable; from pneumonia, bone fractures, and even wounds, bloodletting was as trusted and popular as aspirin is today.