Community Health week 1 Powerpoint notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering foundational terms and concepts from the Community Health Nursing lecture.

Public Health

The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized community efforts.

Community Health

Extension of public health that applies organized health efforts at the community level through both governmental and private sectors.

Mission of Public Health

To assure the conditions in which people can be healthy, emphasizing social justice and collective responsibility.

Health (WHO perspective)

A resource for everyday life, emphasizing social, personal, and physical capacities rather than merely the absence of disease.

Community Health Nursing

A synthesis of nursing and public-health practice focusing on health promotion, maintenance, and protection of at-risk populations.

At-Risk Population

A group with a higher probability of illness or adverse health outcomes, identified for targeted public-health interventions.

Dimensions of Health

Physical, social, role, mental, and general perceptions considered in holistic health assessments.

Geopolitical Community

A community defined by geographic or political boundaries, such as a city, county, or neighborhood.

Phenomenological Community

A community defined by shared interests or common bonds rather than location, e.g., faith groups or online support groups.

Population

All people occupying an area or sharing one or more characteristics; the focus of many public-health efforts.

Aggregate

A subgroup within a population that shares a common characteristic, used to target specific health interventions.

Core Functions of Public Health

Assessment, policy development, and assurance—three guiding responsibilities of public-health practice.

Assessment (Core Function)

Systematically collecting and analyzing data to identify community health problems and their determinants.

Policy Development

Using scientific knowledge to create public-health policies and mobilize community partnerships that support health.

Assurance

Ensuring that essential public-health services are available and that the workforce is competent to deliver them.

10 Essential Public Health Services

A set of actions that operationalize the core functions and provide a framework for public-health practice.

Personal Health

Health care focused on the individual patient, emphasizing diagnosis, treatment, and healing of specific conditions.

Public Health Intervention Wheel

A model depicting 17 public-health interventions across individual/family, community, and systems levels.

Individual/Family-Focused Practice

Interventions aimed at changing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors within identified persons or families.

Community-Focused Practice

Interventions targeting community norms, attitudes, awareness, and practices to improve population health.

Systems-Focused Practice

Interventions designed to change organizations, policies, and laws that influence health determinants.

Surveillance

Ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to planning and evaluating public-health practice.

Outreach

Locating populations of interest and providing information or services to increase access to health resources.

Case Management

Coordinating services for individuals or families to meet comprehensive health needs efficiently.

Advocacy

Actively supporting policies or actions that improve health for individuals, communities, or populations.

Levels of Prevention

Primary (prevent disease), secondary (early detection), and tertiary (reduce complications of existing disease).

Primary Prevention

Actions taken to prevent the onset of disease before it occurs, e.g., immunizations or health education.

Secondary Prevention

Screening and early detection of disease to allow prompt intervention and control, e.g., mammography.

Tertiary Prevention

Efforts to limit disability and rehabilitate individuals with established disease, e.g., cardiac rehab.

Upstream Thinking

Addressing root social, economic, and environmental causes of health problems rather than treating symptoms alone.

Nursing Process

Five cyclic phases—assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation—guiding nursing and public-health practice.

Community Health Assessment

Systematic collection and analysis of data about a population’s health status to identify needs and resources.

Healthy People 2030

A U.S. framework of national objectives designed to guide health promotion and disease-prevention efforts.

Community Assets

Individuals, associations, institutions, and resources that improve quality of life and can be mobilized for health.

Community Needs

The gap between a community’s current health status and its desired health outcomes, indicating areas for improvement.

Data Gathering

Collection of existing information from secondary sources such as census data and health statistics.

Data Generation

Collection of new, original information directly from the community through observation or interaction.

Windshield Survey

A systematic drive-through observation used to assess physical, social, and economic characteristics of a community.

Key Informant Interview

Qualitative data-collection method involving in-depth conversations with community members who possess specialized knowledge.

Focus Group

Structured group interview used to obtain perceptions on a defined topic from selected participants.

Community Nursing Diagnosis

A statement that identifies a community health problem, the population at risk, its cause, and supporting evidence.

Etiological Statement

The ‘related to’ clause in a nursing diagnosis that links the problem to its underlying cause.

SMART Objectives

Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely, guiding effective action plans.

Implementation (Public Health)

Carrying out planned interventions while allocating resources, engaging stakeholders, and managing challenges.

Evaluation (Public Health)

Systematically determining the effectiveness of interventions by measuring outcomes against predetermined criteria.

Community Openness to Change

The degree to which a community is willing to accept and support new health initiatives.

Social Participation

Active involvement of community members in decision-making and health-promotion activities.

Bias Recognition

The self-awareness process through which nurses identify personal prejudices that may influence their professional judgment.