Question

1. What is the principle behind public health nursing?

2. How does a community health nurse promote health and prevent disease in the community?

3. What is the goal of Healthy People 2020?

Answer 1

1) public health nursing is a vital part of public health. There are certain principals that a public nurse should follow to promote and protect the health of population.

• population-based assessment

Client or unit of care is referred to as a population.

Collection of a group of people who have similar characters in common. This includes public, personal or lifestyle health practices. The assessment process review needs strength and expectation of all people and guided by the epidemiological methods.

• primary prevention is given priority

In public health, nursing emphasises on primary health prevention. This includes health promotion and health protection strategies.

• obligation to reach out to all who needs health service

Public health nursing focuses on the whole population and not solely for individuals who present themselves for health service. This includes an application to reach out to all individuals who need intervention and services.

• partnership with the client

This assures interpreting of data, policy decisions, planning and implementation of intervention strategies shows the perspectives, priorities and values of people.

• strategies to create environmental, social and economic conditions.

Public health nursing focus on improving environments where the client lives, to benefit the risk of individuals. some intervention will support functions and systems that enhance health and others will protect the health of people by preventing them from doing harmful practices.

• obligation for the greater good of the whole population

Considering what is the best interest of an individual or group. Public health nurses promote the health of individuals and this is the secondary responsibility after promoting the health of populations.

• resource management

Optimal use of available resources to support maximum number of people to improve health of entire people.

• collaboration

The health of an individual is promoted and protected through collaboration with other members of health care team. Public health nurses should have a good liasion with multiple organization and professionals to improve health of individulas.