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Welcome to this 3-contact-hour Continuing Education  course with instant online processing and certification 24/7.  Study the course below, take the 12-question multiple-choice TEST, register and pay online. If you score 75% or above, you may print your CE certificate on your printer as soon as you finish. If you have difficulty printing your certificate, click here. You may retake the test once.

Nursing and public health practice to promote and preserve the health of the community 

Scenario  
You are an acute care nurse.  You have a patient who is ready to be discharged from the hospital.  You find out that this patient will be going home to a life of poverty, small children, and barely any food
in the house.  This patient will need a great deal of teaching regarding their health, the health of their family, and the environment in which they live.  You contact the discharge planner and the social worker of the hospital.  How will this help your patient?  Resources, referrals, and a community health nurse soon become an intricate part of the patient's life.  Community health nursing is an essential part of the well-being of family life and community.


Definition
The concept of community (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=community) is defined as "a group of people who share some important feature of their lives and use some common agencies and institutions."  The concept of health (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=health) is defined as "a balanced state of well-being resulting from harmonious interactions of body, mind, and spirit."  The term community health is defined by meeting the needs of a community by identifying problems and managing interactions within the community.

1. 6 Basic Elements
The six basic elements of nursing practice incorporated in community health programs and services are (1) promotion of healthful living, (2) prevention of health problems, (3) treatment of disorders, (4) rehabilitation, (5) evaluation, and (6) research.

ERIC_NO: ED399390, Community Health. Career & Technology Studies. Guide to Standards and Implementation. Interim 1996 (September 1996-September 1997). 1996
ABSTRACT: This document contains materials for teachers to use in presenting the community health strand of the career and technology studies (CTS) program that has been approved for secondary schools in Alberta, Canada. The first three sections outline the philosophy/rationale, organization, and curriculum and assessment standards of the CTS program in general and the community health strand in particular, as well as various considerations in planning for instruction in the community health strand at the junior and senior high school levels. The next three sections define the curriculum and assessment standards for the 31 modules constituting the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels of the community health strand. Among the topics covered in the modules are the following: family dynamics; child care/development; home care; personal safety management; adolescent health; marriage; community volunteerism; day care; anatomy, physiology, and pathology; complementary therapies; first aid; parenting; aging; prenatal/postnatal care; challenged individuals; mental health; and medical technology. The remaining four sections contain the following: assessment tools generic to the CTS program and specific to the community health strand modules; overview of linkages and transitions of CTS modules with a number of organizations; guidelines for establishing a resource-based classroom; and sample student learning guides for two modules. www.askeric.org 

2. 7 Major Roles
The focus of nursing includes not only the individual, but also the family and the community, meeting these multiple needs requires multiple roles.  The seven major roles of a community health nurse are (1) care
provider, (2) educator, (3) advocate, (4) manager, (5) collaborator, (6) leader, and (7) researcher. 

3. 6 Major Settings
Settings for community health nursing can be grouped into six categories:  (1) homes, (2) ambulatory care settings, (3) schools, (4) occupational health settings, (5) residential institutions, and (6) the community at large.  Community health nursing practice is not limited to a specific area, but can be practiced anywhere.

ERIC_NO: ED437163, Community Health, Community Care, Community Support: Proceedings of the Invitational Conference on Innovative Childhood Care and Development Support Programs (Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 1996). Hanrahan, Marian, Ed.; Prinsen, Bert, Ed., 1997
ABSTRACT: The development of community-based programs to support inexperienced parents through home visits by experienced mothers, who are in turned facilitated by child health and development professionals, has become an increasingly common approach in Europe and the United States. This edited volume presents proceedings from an invitational conference on innovative community-based support programs for children and their parents, held in Amsterdam in 1996. Focusing on program implementation, research, development and dissemination strategies, specific target groups, and the role of lay persons in service delivery, the chapters are: (1) "Community-Based Innovative Practices in Child Health Care: Early Childhood Care and Development Programs" (Marian Hanrahan); (2) "The Mothers' View on Community Based Programs" (Carolina Kleinjan-Rens); (3) "The Community Mothers Programme in Dublin" (Brenda Molloy); (4) "Effective Strategies of Psychosocial Prevention: A Conceptual Analysis" (Jo Hermanns); (5) "Community-Based Early Childhood Development: Wider Implications of the New Movement" (Walter Barker); (6) "Rural Families, Rural Strength and Hope" (Barbara Clinton, Judy Matthews-Taylor); (7) "Parenting Programs in South Wales" (Maria Gallagher, Joy Mason, Jill Rossiter, and Miskey Sandison); (8) "National Parent Support Program in Ireland" (Chris Sheridan, Joan Roberts, Aidan Warner, Anne Coyle, and Pat O'Rourke); (9) "Mothers Inform Mothers: An Innovative Child Care and Development Program in the Netherlands" (Marian Hanrahan, Bert Prinsen, and Yvonne de Graaf); (10) "Research to Fit Practice: Innovative Action Research in Health Promotion" (Maria Koelen and Marian Hanrahan); (11) "Increasing Coverage of Programs for Children: Approaches, Strategies and Conceptual Issues" www.askeric.org 

4. Learning Theories
Each individual has a theory of learning that dictates the way she or he will learn.  There are 3 categories of learning theories:  (1) stimulus-response conditioning, (2) cognitive, and (3) affective. Stimulus-response conditioning view learning as a behavioral change in response to certain stimuli and includes the behaviorism theory, or the operant conditioning theory (http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/skinner.html).  The Cognitive theories of learning seek to influence the learner's
understanding of problems and situations and includes the constructivist theory and (http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/bruner.html).  In the Affective category, learning may occur in the area of emotion, feeling, interests, attitudes, and values.  This includes the observational learning theory or the Social Learning Theory (http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/bandura.html).

5. Characteristics
The health of a community is based upon identifying needs and problems, achieving a working consensus in problem-solving, and developing a sense of unity in handling conflict and crisis.  Community participation is a
key concept of primary healthcare and is concerned with the level of citizen involvement in health decision making.

ERIC_NO: ED234134, Toward a Healthy Community (Organizing Events for Community Health Promotion) 1980
ABSTRACT: This booklet suggests the first steps communities can take in assessing their needs and resources and mobilizing public interest and support for health promotion. It is based on an approach to health education and community organization that recognizes the value of a highly visible, time-limited event, such as a health fair, a marathon, or an immunization campaign. Common shortcomings of health promotion programs are analyzed and a four-phase "healthy community system" model is described. Within each phase (start-up, involvement, installing change, and sustaining change), strategies for mobilizing individuals and groups in such a way that accounts for the sociocultural characteristics of each community are outlined. The importance of integrating the gains of any health promotion program into existing services, agencies, and community life is stressed. Appended to the booklet are: (1) a health practices and health consequences questionnaire; (2) a community support indicator; and (3) a community social analysis interview schedule. www.askeric.org 

6. Resources
About Learning Theories:  50 Learning Theories:   http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/theories.html


7. Summary 
Community health nursing is a practice with and for the community.  The community health nurse promotes the health and well-being of the individual and the community, and connects the clients with community agencies for the purpose of strengthening the family structure.  When acute care nurses join together with discharge planners and social workers; individuals, families, and communities benefit.  The outcome is positive and the wholeness of the community is enhanced.

8. Community Health Library

American Public Health Association:   http://www.apha.org

 

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