Question

current challenges community and public health nurses contend with in the practice today.

Answer 1

Public health nursing is the important profession which determines ' the health of the nation'.

So when it is the most important profession there will be more challenges like

1. Social based: when changes happen in society that has an impact on the public health which influences to bring about changes in nursing .
2. Advancement of technologies in hospitals and improvement in medical profession also influences public health nursing. In hospitals many departments are available caring individuals closely but in a public health setting it is not possible.
3. Changes in nursing profession itself is contending nurses. Diploma , bachelor's , master's and now doctorate level is becoming a necessity. The fees needed for studying , the stipends paid, accommodation, uniform allowances are growing as the nation' develops but nurses are paid less. All need only service but nurses are paid low .
4. Public health nurse has to cover a wide population in her area of care. She has to look for malnutrition , foeticide, child abuse, elderly abuse , old age care, pregnant mother's, Neonates and post partum mother's and mostly old age people are discharged from hospital even being sick who needs close care . So the workload of public health nurse is expanding to greater extent.
5. Clarity of role to the public health nurses are not made. They play mutiple roles in community like advocating , providing care, referral services ,etc.
6. No adequate supply of well prepared public health nurse administrator to improve public health nursing as subspecialty department in nursing.
7. Public health nursing works on evidence based approach which takes more time to search the need of society in health care , formulate a plan , implement and evaluate it.
8. Public health nursing work towards health promotion in community which is the biggest challenge as she needs to collaborate with other healthcare professinals in community to develop and proceed integrated plan of care.