Edition
What is public health? - ✔✔activities that society undertakes to assure the conditions in which
people can be healthy
Ex. a vaccine clinic
*public health nursing is community based and, most importantly, it is population focused
What is community health? - ✔✔identification of needs and the protection and improvement
of collective health within a geographically defined area
What are types of community nursing? - ✔✔- acute care nursing
- public health nursing
What is acute care nursing? - ✔✔- care of solitary patients
- primarily deals with illness at the end of health continuum
What is public health nursing? - ✔✔- care encompass a much wider vista
- primary charge is to prevent health problems and promote higher levels of health (main
difference from acute care nursing)
What are leading health indicators? - ✔✔these reflect the major health concerns in the U.S.
*health indicators are used to measure the health of a nation
- access to health services
- clinical preventive services
- environmental quality
- injury and violence
- maternal, infant, and child health
,- mental health
- nutrition, physical activity, and obesity
- oral health
- reproductive and sexual health
- social determinants
- substance abuse
- tobacco
What is health promotion? - ✔✔all efforts that seek to move people closer to optimal well-
being or higher levels of wellness; raises levels of wellness for:
*individuals
*families
*populations
*communities
What is disease prevention? - ✔✔prevention means anticipating and averting problems or
discovering them as early as possible to minimize potential disability and impairment; it is
practiced on three levels:
*primary
*secondary
*tertiary
What is primary prevention? - ✔✔precludes the occurrence of a health problem; it includes
measures taken to keep illness or injuries from occurring
ex. vaccinations, safety devices (grab bars, hand rails), teaching healthy lifestyle behaviors to
young adults
What is secondary prevention? - ✔✔involves efforts to detect and treat existing health
problems at the earliest possible stage
, ex. screening programs, self examinations, assessing for early signs of abuse or emotional
disturbances
What is tertiary prevention? - ✔✔attempts to reduce the extent and severity of a health
problem to its lowest possible level to minimize disability and restore or preserve function
ex. treatment and rehab of persons after stroke, post-mastectomy exercise programs to restore
functioning, tx of diabetes to reduce problems or slow progression
What are core public health functions? - ✔✔- Assessment: regular collection, analysis, and
sharing of information about health conditions, risks, and resources in a community
- Policy development: use of assessment data to develop policy and direct resources toward
those policies
- Assurance: availability of necessary services throughout the community
What is the role of the clinician in public health nursing? - ✔✔- care provider
- focuses on holism, health promotion, and prevention while using expanded skills
What is the role of the educator in public health nursing? - ✔✔- health teacher
- plan for community-wide impact
What is the role of the advocate in public health nursing? - ✔✔- pleader of the client's cause or
actor on behalf of the client
- support the client's self-determination and independence
- make the system responsive and relevant to the client's needs
- advocates must:
*be assertive
*take risks
*communicate and negotiate well
*identify and obtain resources for the client