2026 Community HESI Study Guide | Public
Health Nursing Review & High-Yield
Community Care Concepts 2026/2027
1|Page
,2026 Community HESI Study Guide | Public Health Nursing Review & High-Yield Community Care
Concepts
2026/2027 Examination
Total Questions: 200
Instructions:
• Answer all questions.
• Select the single best answer.
• Each question has four answer choices: A, B, C, and D.
• Select only ONE answer for each question.
SECTION 1: Foundations of Community and Public Health Nursing
Questions 1–25
Q1. A community health nurse is differentiating between community-based nursing and
community-oriented nursing. Which characteristic best describes community-oriented nursing?
A. The focus is on illness care for individuals and families within the community
B. The primary goal is health promotion and disease prevention for the population as a whole
C. Care is delivered exclusively in home settings
D. The nurse's primary responsibility is to the individual patient rather than the community
Correct Answer: B. The primary goal is health promotion and disease prevention for the
population as a whole
Rationale: Community-oriented nursing emphasizes the health of the entire population, focusing
on health promotion, disease prevention, and addressing determinants of health. Community-based
nursing, in contrast, focuses on illness care for individuals and families. Options A and D describe
community-based nursing, while C inaccurately limits the setting of care.
Q2. A public health nurse is applying the core functions of public health. Which activity best
exemplifies the assurance function?
A. Conducting a community health needs assessment
B. Investigating a foodborne illness outbreak
C. Linking uninsured residents to available screening services
D. Developing a policy brief on air quality standards
Correct Answer: C. Linking uninsured residents to available screening services
Rationale: Assurance involves ensuring that essential health services are available and accessible
to the population, which includes linking people to needed services. Assessment (A and B) involves
monitoring health status and diagnosing community health problems. Policy development (D)
involves developing policies that support health.
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, Q3. A nurse is reviewing the ten essential public health services. Which service falls under the
assessment core function?
A. Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
B. Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
C. Monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems
D. Assuring a competent public health and personal healthcare workforce
Correct Answer: C. Monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems
Rationale: Monitoring health status is a foundational assessment activity. Enforcement of laws
(A) falls under assurance, while mobilizing partnerships (B) and assuring a competent workforce (D)
are policy development and assurance functions, respectively.
Q4. A community health nurse is planning care using the nursing process at the population level.
Which step immediately follows the community diagnosis phase?
A. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions
B. Planning interventions to address identified health problems
C. Conducting a community assessment
D. Implementing health education programs
Correct Answer: B. Planning interventions to address identified health problems
Rationale: The nursing process at the population level follows: assessment, diagnosis, planning,
implementation, and evaluation. After the community diagnosis is made, the nurse plans
interventions. Evaluation and implementation occur later in the process.
Q5. A nurse is conducting a windshield survey in an urban neighborhood. Which observation is
most relevant to assessing the physical environment?
A. The number of residents who attend religious services
B. The presence of abandoned buildings and broken sidewalks
C. The unemployment rate reported by the local government
D. The literacy level of the adult population
Correct Answer: B. The presence of abandoned buildings and broken sidewalks
Rationale: A windshield survey is a visual assessment of a community's physical environment,
including housing conditions, infrastructure, and environmental hazards. Abandoned buildings and
broken sidewalks are direct visual indicators of the physical environment. The other options reflect
social, economic, or educational data that are not typically observed during a windshield survey.
Q6. A public health nurse is using the epidemiological triangle to analyze a community's health
problem. Which component represents the external factors that influence disease transmission?
A. Host
B. Agent
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, C. Environment
D. Vector
Correct Answer: C. Environment
Rationale: The epidemiological triangle consists of host, agent, and environment. The
environment encompasses external factors such as physical, biological, social, and economic
conditions that influence disease transmission. The host is the susceptible organism, the agent is the
cause of disease, and a vector is a specific type of agent transmitter.
Q7. A nurse is calculating the incidence rate of a disease in a community. Which information is
essential to determine this measure?
A. The total number of existing cases at a specific point in time
B. The number of new cases occurring during a specified time period
C. The number of deaths attributed to the disease
D. The total population at risk at the beginning of the period
Correct Answer: B. The number of new cases occurring during a specified time period
Rationale: Incidence rate measures the number of new cases of a disease that develop in a
population during a specified time period. Prevalence (A) refers to all existing cases. Mortality (C)
refers to deaths. While the population at risk (D) is part of the denominator, the essential numerator
for incidence is new cases.
Q8. A community health nurse is comparing crude mortality rates between two communities
with different age distributions. Which measure would provide the most accurate comparison?
A. Crude mortality rate
B. Age-specific mortality rate
C. Age-adjusted mortality rate
D. Case fatality rate
Correct Answer: C. Age-adjusted mortality rate
Rationale: Age-adjusted mortality rates remove the confounding effect of different age
distributions, allowing for valid comparisons between populations. Crude mortality rates (A) are
affected by age distribution. Age-specific rates (B) apply to specific age groups only, and case fatality
rate (D) measures the severity of a disease among diagnosed cases.
Q9. A public health nurse is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A in a community. Which step
should the nurse take first?
A. Implement control measures to prevent further transmission
B. Verify the existence of the outbreak by confirming cases
C. Develop a hypothesis about the source of the outbreak
D. Conduct a case-control study to identify risk factors
4|Page
Health Nursing Review & High-Yield
Community Care Concepts 2026/2027
1|Page
,2026 Community HESI Study Guide | Public Health Nursing Review & High-Yield Community Care
Concepts
2026/2027 Examination
Total Questions: 200
Instructions:
• Answer all questions.
• Select the single best answer.
• Each question has four answer choices: A, B, C, and D.
• Select only ONE answer for each question.
SECTION 1: Foundations of Community and Public Health Nursing
Questions 1–25
Q1. A community health nurse is differentiating between community-based nursing and
community-oriented nursing. Which characteristic best describes community-oriented nursing?
A. The focus is on illness care for individuals and families within the community
B. The primary goal is health promotion and disease prevention for the population as a whole
C. Care is delivered exclusively in home settings
D. The nurse's primary responsibility is to the individual patient rather than the community
Correct Answer: B. The primary goal is health promotion and disease prevention for the
population as a whole
Rationale: Community-oriented nursing emphasizes the health of the entire population, focusing
on health promotion, disease prevention, and addressing determinants of health. Community-based
nursing, in contrast, focuses on illness care for individuals and families. Options A and D describe
community-based nursing, while C inaccurately limits the setting of care.
Q2. A public health nurse is applying the core functions of public health. Which activity best
exemplifies the assurance function?
A. Conducting a community health needs assessment
B. Investigating a foodborne illness outbreak
C. Linking uninsured residents to available screening services
D. Developing a policy brief on air quality standards
Correct Answer: C. Linking uninsured residents to available screening services
Rationale: Assurance involves ensuring that essential health services are available and accessible
to the population, which includes linking people to needed services. Assessment (A and B) involves
monitoring health status and diagnosing community health problems. Policy development (D)
involves developing policies that support health.
2|Page
, Q3. A nurse is reviewing the ten essential public health services. Which service falls under the
assessment core function?
A. Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
B. Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
C. Monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems
D. Assuring a competent public health and personal healthcare workforce
Correct Answer: C. Monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems
Rationale: Monitoring health status is a foundational assessment activity. Enforcement of laws
(A) falls under assurance, while mobilizing partnerships (B) and assuring a competent workforce (D)
are policy development and assurance functions, respectively.
Q4. A community health nurse is planning care using the nursing process at the population level.
Which step immediately follows the community diagnosis phase?
A. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions
B. Planning interventions to address identified health problems
C. Conducting a community assessment
D. Implementing health education programs
Correct Answer: B. Planning interventions to address identified health problems
Rationale: The nursing process at the population level follows: assessment, diagnosis, planning,
implementation, and evaluation. After the community diagnosis is made, the nurse plans
interventions. Evaluation and implementation occur later in the process.
Q5. A nurse is conducting a windshield survey in an urban neighborhood. Which observation is
most relevant to assessing the physical environment?
A. The number of residents who attend religious services
B. The presence of abandoned buildings and broken sidewalks
C. The unemployment rate reported by the local government
D. The literacy level of the adult population
Correct Answer: B. The presence of abandoned buildings and broken sidewalks
Rationale: A windshield survey is a visual assessment of a community's physical environment,
including housing conditions, infrastructure, and environmental hazards. Abandoned buildings and
broken sidewalks are direct visual indicators of the physical environment. The other options reflect
social, economic, or educational data that are not typically observed during a windshield survey.
Q6. A public health nurse is using the epidemiological triangle to analyze a community's health
problem. Which component represents the external factors that influence disease transmission?
A. Host
B. Agent
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, C. Environment
D. Vector
Correct Answer: C. Environment
Rationale: The epidemiological triangle consists of host, agent, and environment. The
environment encompasses external factors such as physical, biological, social, and economic
conditions that influence disease transmission. The host is the susceptible organism, the agent is the
cause of disease, and a vector is a specific type of agent transmitter.
Q7. A nurse is calculating the incidence rate of a disease in a community. Which information is
essential to determine this measure?
A. The total number of existing cases at a specific point in time
B. The number of new cases occurring during a specified time period
C. The number of deaths attributed to the disease
D. The total population at risk at the beginning of the period
Correct Answer: B. The number of new cases occurring during a specified time period
Rationale: Incidence rate measures the number of new cases of a disease that develop in a
population during a specified time period. Prevalence (A) refers to all existing cases. Mortality (C)
refers to deaths. While the population at risk (D) is part of the denominator, the essential numerator
for incidence is new cases.
Q8. A community health nurse is comparing crude mortality rates between two communities
with different age distributions. Which measure would provide the most accurate comparison?
A. Crude mortality rate
B. Age-specific mortality rate
C. Age-adjusted mortality rate
D. Case fatality rate
Correct Answer: C. Age-adjusted mortality rate
Rationale: Age-adjusted mortality rates remove the confounding effect of different age
distributions, allowing for valid comparisons between populations. Crude mortality rates (A) are
affected by age distribution. Age-specific rates (B) apply to specific age groups only, and case fatality
rate (D) measures the severity of a disease among diagnosed cases.
Q9. A public health nurse is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A in a community. Which step
should the nurse take first?
A. Implement control measures to prevent further transmission
B. Verify the existence of the outbreak by confirming cases
C. Develop a hypothesis about the source of the outbreak
D. Conduct a case-control study to identify risk factors
4|Page
