LECTURE NOTES
For Nursing Students
Community Health
Nursing
Daniel Mengistu
Equlinet Misganaw
University of Gondar
In collaboration with the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative, The Carter Center,
the Ethiopia Ministry of Health, and the Ethiopia Ministry of Education
2006
, Funded under USAID Cooperative Agreement No. 663-A-00-00-0358-00.
Produced in collaboration with the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative, The Carter
Center, the Ethiopia Ministry of Health, and the Ethiopia Ministry of Education.
Important Guidelines for Printing and Photocopying
Limited permission is granted free of charge to print or photocopy all pages of this
publication for educational, not-for-profit use by health care workers, students or
faculty. All copies must retain all author credits and copyright notices included in the
original document. Under no circumstances is it permissible to sell or distribute on a
commercial basis, or to claim authorship of, copies of material reproduced from this
publication.
©2006 by Daniel Mengistu and Equlinet Misganaw
All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided above, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without written permission of the author or authors.
This material is intended for educational use only by practicing health care workers or
students and faculty in a health care field.
, PREFACE
Community health Nursing is the synthesis of nursing and
public health practice applied to promote and protect the
health of population. It combines all the basic elements of
professional, clinical nursing with public health and community
practice.
Community health nursing is essential particularly at this point
in time because it maximizes the health status of individuals,
families, groups and the community through direct approach
with them. Today community participation and involvement is
getting a due attention before the occurrence of illnesses as
life-style changes to continue to play a significant role in
morbidity and mortality. Chronis illnesses, tobacco smoking,
road traffic accident (RTA) …etc, and environmental changes
that affect health are steadily becoming the major concerns
influencing human health in our country. As nurses of 21st
century we have duties and responsibilities to keep a dynamic
balance with the ever changing needs of the health of our
society. To maintain abreast with this societal needs we
professional nurses must understand concepts and models of
the community health nursing, the importance of health
promotion and disease prevention and health care planning,
i
, implementation and evaluation of health care efforts for the
advantage of the community.
The purpose for preparing this lecture note is to upgrade the
previously prepared lecture note and to present the subject in
a relatively simplified and organized way.
The teaching material is based on the existing curriculum of
community health nursing and consists of 14 units. Each unit
has its own objectives, body and reviewing question at the
end.
Finally a lot of effort has gone in preparing this material within
short period of time, valuable and constructive comments
have welcome for the improving of this lecture note.
ii
For Nursing Students
Community Health
Nursing
Daniel Mengistu
Equlinet Misganaw
University of Gondar
In collaboration with the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative, The Carter Center,
the Ethiopia Ministry of Health, and the Ethiopia Ministry of Education
2006
, Funded under USAID Cooperative Agreement No. 663-A-00-00-0358-00.
Produced in collaboration with the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative, The Carter
Center, the Ethiopia Ministry of Health, and the Ethiopia Ministry of Education.
Important Guidelines for Printing and Photocopying
Limited permission is granted free of charge to print or photocopy all pages of this
publication for educational, not-for-profit use by health care workers, students or
faculty. All copies must retain all author credits and copyright notices included in the
original document. Under no circumstances is it permissible to sell or distribute on a
commercial basis, or to claim authorship of, copies of material reproduced from this
publication.
©2006 by Daniel Mengistu and Equlinet Misganaw
All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided above, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without written permission of the author or authors.
This material is intended for educational use only by practicing health care workers or
students and faculty in a health care field.
, PREFACE
Community health Nursing is the synthesis of nursing and
public health practice applied to promote and protect the
health of population. It combines all the basic elements of
professional, clinical nursing with public health and community
practice.
Community health nursing is essential particularly at this point
in time because it maximizes the health status of individuals,
families, groups and the community through direct approach
with them. Today community participation and involvement is
getting a due attention before the occurrence of illnesses as
life-style changes to continue to play a significant role in
morbidity and mortality. Chronis illnesses, tobacco smoking,
road traffic accident (RTA) …etc, and environmental changes
that affect health are steadily becoming the major concerns
influencing human health in our country. As nurses of 21st
century we have duties and responsibilities to keep a dynamic
balance with the ever changing needs of the health of our
society. To maintain abreast with this societal needs we
professional nurses must understand concepts and models of
the community health nursing, the importance of health
promotion and disease prevention and health care planning,
i
, implementation and evaluation of health care efforts for the
advantage of the community.
The purpose for preparing this lecture note is to upgrade the
previously prepared lecture note and to present the subject in
a relatively simplified and organized way.
The teaching material is based on the existing curriculum of
community health nursing and consists of 14 units. Each unit
has its own objectives, body and reviewing question at the
end.
Finally a lot of effort has gone in preparing this material within
short period of time, valuable and constructive comments
have welcome for the improving of this lecture note.
ii
