Comprehensive Community Health Study
Guide
What is the key attribute of aiding disaster victims? - ANSWER*Flexibility*
Flexibility is essential because the only certainty is that there will be continuing changes
Important to note:
*Assessment* is also a major nursing role in aiding disaster victims. The traditional model of community
assessment presents the foundation for the rapid community assessment process
Explain the triage system and describe the disaster triage tag system - ANSWER*Triage is the process of
separating casualties and allocating treatment on the basis of the victims' potential for survival.*
*Highest priority*: given to victims who have life-threatening injuries BUT have a high probability of survival
once stabilized
*Second priority*: given to victims with injuries that have systemic complications that are not yet life
threatening and could wait 45 to 60 minutes for treatment
*Last priority*: local injuries without systemic complications that can wait several hours for care
Triage tag system:
*Red*: (class I) emergent care needed
*Yellow*: (class II) can wait for a short time
*Green*: (class III) minor, non-urgent, "walking wounded"
*Black*: (class IV) impending death/dead
Describe the three ways nurses can mitigate the effects of disasters - ANSWER1) *Awareness and education*:
Holding or attending community meetings on disaster preparedness, including informing the community
about the many educational resources available to them. One resource is an in-depth citizen guide for
preparing for a disaster called "Are you ready?" The guide is available at http://www.fema.gov.
,2) *Organizing and participating* in mass prophylaxis and vaccination campaigns to prevent, treat, or contain
disease.
3) *Advocacy* identifying environmental hazards, serving on the public health team for mitigation work,
supporting actions and efforts for effective building codes and proper land use
Define bioterrorism and what agencies - ANSWER*Bioterrorism* is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria,
or other agents for the purpose of harming or killing
*Category A*: most deadly agents (anthrax, plague, small pox, botulism, tularemia, viral hemorrhagic fevers)
*Category B*: moderate illness rates and low death rates, moderately easy to spread (salmonella, giardia,
west nile virus, hepatitis A)
*Category C*: easily produced/spread, potential for high morbidity and mortality (influenza, rabies, TB, yellow
fever)
Agencies (don't really need to know per Susan): BioWatch (warning system), BioSense (data-sharing), Project
Bioshield (countermeasures to bioterrorism), Cities Readiness Initiative (helps cities prepare for large scale
delivery of meds/vaccines), Strategic National Stockpile (large quantities of medical supplies for American
public if needed managed by state/public health system)
Extra: five components of a comprehensive public health response to outbreaks of illness - ANSWER(1)
detecting the outbreak
(2) determining the cause
(3) identifying factors that place people at risk
(4) implementing measures to control the outbreak
(5) informing the medical and public communities about treatments, health consequences, and preventive
measure
, What agency provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies of all levels of
government and nongovernmental organizations? - ANSWER*National Incident Management System (NIMS)*:
the nation's common platform for disaster response to include universal protocols and language
- brings together government services, nongovernmental services, private services in the event of a disaster so
they work seamlessly together
First Developmental Stage of Health Care + Health Economics
(question 18 broken into 4 parts) - ANSWER*Stage I, 1800-1900:*
- infectious epidemics (cholera, typhoid, smallpox, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever - Edward Jenner makes
smallpox vaccine)
- inadequate and unsafe hospital care (overcrowded)
- minimal technology (MD's "black bag"- contained few medicines and tools)
- experience-based training
Public health concerns:
contaminated food and water supplies, inadequate sewage disposal, and poor housing conditions
Family and friends provided most health care in the home
*Economics influenced by types of health care providers and number of practitioners*
*Most physicians/nurses attained their skills through apprenticeships or on the job training*
Focus of nursing at the time was to support physicians and assist clients with ADLs
Second Developmental Stage of Health Care + Health Economics
(question 18 broken into 4 parts) - ANSWER*Stage II, 1900-1945:*
- acute infections, trauma
- specialty hospital emerge
- therapeutic advances (surgery, childbirth, pharmacology, serological tests, virus isolation techniques,
antibiotics)
Guide
What is the key attribute of aiding disaster victims? - ANSWER*Flexibility*
Flexibility is essential because the only certainty is that there will be continuing changes
Important to note:
*Assessment* is also a major nursing role in aiding disaster victims. The traditional model of community
assessment presents the foundation for the rapid community assessment process
Explain the triage system and describe the disaster triage tag system - ANSWER*Triage is the process of
separating casualties and allocating treatment on the basis of the victims' potential for survival.*
*Highest priority*: given to victims who have life-threatening injuries BUT have a high probability of survival
once stabilized
*Second priority*: given to victims with injuries that have systemic complications that are not yet life
threatening and could wait 45 to 60 minutes for treatment
*Last priority*: local injuries without systemic complications that can wait several hours for care
Triage tag system:
*Red*: (class I) emergent care needed
*Yellow*: (class II) can wait for a short time
*Green*: (class III) minor, non-urgent, "walking wounded"
*Black*: (class IV) impending death/dead
Describe the three ways nurses can mitigate the effects of disasters - ANSWER1) *Awareness and education*:
Holding or attending community meetings on disaster preparedness, including informing the community
about the many educational resources available to them. One resource is an in-depth citizen guide for
preparing for a disaster called "Are you ready?" The guide is available at http://www.fema.gov.
,2) *Organizing and participating* in mass prophylaxis and vaccination campaigns to prevent, treat, or contain
disease.
3) *Advocacy* identifying environmental hazards, serving on the public health team for mitigation work,
supporting actions and efforts for effective building codes and proper land use
Define bioterrorism and what agencies - ANSWER*Bioterrorism* is the intentional release of viruses, bacteria,
or other agents for the purpose of harming or killing
*Category A*: most deadly agents (anthrax, plague, small pox, botulism, tularemia, viral hemorrhagic fevers)
*Category B*: moderate illness rates and low death rates, moderately easy to spread (salmonella, giardia,
west nile virus, hepatitis A)
*Category C*: easily produced/spread, potential for high morbidity and mortality (influenza, rabies, TB, yellow
fever)
Agencies (don't really need to know per Susan): BioWatch (warning system), BioSense (data-sharing), Project
Bioshield (countermeasures to bioterrorism), Cities Readiness Initiative (helps cities prepare for large scale
delivery of meds/vaccines), Strategic National Stockpile (large quantities of medical supplies for American
public if needed managed by state/public health system)
Extra: five components of a comprehensive public health response to outbreaks of illness - ANSWER(1)
detecting the outbreak
(2) determining the cause
(3) identifying factors that place people at risk
(4) implementing measures to control the outbreak
(5) informing the medical and public communities about treatments, health consequences, and preventive
measure
, What agency provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies of all levels of
government and nongovernmental organizations? - ANSWER*National Incident Management System (NIMS)*:
the nation's common platform for disaster response to include universal protocols and language
- brings together government services, nongovernmental services, private services in the event of a disaster so
they work seamlessly together
First Developmental Stage of Health Care + Health Economics
(question 18 broken into 4 parts) - ANSWER*Stage I, 1800-1900:*
- infectious epidemics (cholera, typhoid, smallpox, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever - Edward Jenner makes
smallpox vaccine)
- inadequate and unsafe hospital care (overcrowded)
- minimal technology (MD's "black bag"- contained few medicines and tools)
- experience-based training
Public health concerns:
contaminated food and water supplies, inadequate sewage disposal, and poor housing conditions
Family and friends provided most health care in the home
*Economics influenced by types of health care providers and number of practitioners*
*Most physicians/nurses attained their skills through apprenticeships or on the job training*
Focus of nursing at the time was to support physicians and assist clients with ADLs
Second Developmental Stage of Health Care + Health Economics
(question 18 broken into 4 parts) - ANSWER*Stage II, 1900-1945:*
- acute infections, trauma
- specialty hospital emerge
- therapeutic advances (surgery, childbirth, pharmacology, serological tests, virus isolation techniques,
antibiotics)
