Community Health Nursing, Growth and Development, and Health Systems

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering concepts of health and wellness, social determinants of health, levels of prevention, human growth and developmental theories, Canadian healthcare legislation, and vulnerable populations.

Biomedical Approach

A health enhancement approach prevalent in the $1950\text{s--}1960\text{s}$ that defines health strictly as the absence of disease or physical disability.

Behavioural Approach

A health enhancement approach from the $1980\text{s--}1990\text{s}$ emphasized by the Lalonde Report, focusing on health education, personal responsibility, and lifestyle choices to modify individual risk behaviors.

Socioenvironmental Upstream Approach

A health enhancement approach from the $2000\text{s}\text{--}\text{present}$ focusing on root causes, living conditions, sociopolitical structures, public policy, and primary healthcare.

Health Equity

The absence of systemic disparities, which allocates resources based on individual and group need to ensure equitable access and social justice.

Health Inequity

Unfair, avoidable differences in health status driven by social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.

Group / Aggregate

A specialized cohort within a population targeted in nursing practice, such as diabetic youth within the larger diabetic population.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Non-medical, social, and environmental conditions under which individuals are born, grow, work, live, and age, as defined by the World Health Organization.

Income and Income Distribution

The social determinant of health that carries the greatest overall impact on health status, housing, stress levels, food security, and premature mortality.

Primary Prevention

Interventions implemented before disease or injury occurs (e.g., immunizations, bicycle helmets, healthy diet, regular physical activity).

Secondary Prevention

Early detection and prompt intervention to halt or slow disease progression after it has occurred (e.g., mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure screenings).

Tertiary Prevention

Managing and rehabilitating chronic or long-term conditions to minimize disability and preserve function (e.g., rehabilitation, support groups, blood glucose monitoring).

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion ($1986$)

A foundational charter conceptualizing health promotion as enabling individuals to increase control over and improve their health, driven by five core strategies: build healthy public policy, create supportive environments, strengthen community action, develop personal skills, and reorient health services.

Cephalocaudal Trend

A directional trend in growth and development characterized by a head-to-toe progression.

Proximodistal Trend

A directional trend in growth and development characterized by a center-to-periphery progression.

Differentiation

A directional developmental progression from general, whole-body movements advancing to specific, isolated actions.

Denver II

A screening tool utilized alongside routine immunizations to identify developmental delays early in pediatric populations.

Epigenetics

The field investigating external influences (e.g., severe stress, poverty, intergenerational trauma) that alter cellular function without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Infancy ($0\text{--}18$ months), centering on maternal attachment, feeding, and comfort.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Early Childhood ($2\text{--}3$ years), centered on toilet training and dressing.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Preschool ($3\text{--}5$ years), centered on exploration, play, and emerging independence.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during School Age ($6\text{--}11$ years), centered on acquiring skills, school tasks, and managing challenges.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Adolescence ($12\text{--}18$ years), centered on peer relationships, body image, and self-identity.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Young Adulthood ($19\text{--}40$ years), centered on forming reciprocal, intimate partnerships.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Middle Adulthood ($40\text{--}65$ years), centered on productive work, parenting, and contributing to future generations.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson's stage of psychosocial development during Maturity ($65+$ years), centered on retrospective life review and acceptance.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's cognitive development stage ($0\text{--}2$ years) characterized by sensory exploration and the development of object permanence.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's cognitive development stage ($2\text{--}6$ years) characterized by symbolic thought, pretend play, and egocentrism.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's cognitive development stage ($7\text{--}12$ years) characterized by logical operations applied to concrete objects and conservation concepts.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's cognitive development stage ($12+$ years) characterized by abstract, hypothetical, and systematic reasoning.

Assimilation

A cognitive mechanism in Piaget's theory defined as integrating new data into existing schemas.

Accommodation

A cognitive mechanism in Piaget's theory defined as adapting schemas to fit new realities.

Mature Minor Consent (Infants Act)

A legal model under which minors under $19$ years of age may independently consent to healthcare treatment if they comprehend the nature, consequences, and risks, and the decision is in their best interest.

Substitute Decision-Maker (SDM)

An authorized representative appointed to make healthcare decisions when an individual lacks capacity.

Transtheoretical Model of Change

A cyclic model of behavioral change consisting of six stages: Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance, and Termination.

Canada Health Act ($1984$)

Federal legislation passed following the $1979$ Hall Review to curb user fees and extra-billing, establishing conditions for provinces and territories to receive cash contributions through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT).

Extra-Billing

The practice of billing patients above the insured provincial tariff for a medically necessary service, explicitly banned under the Canada Health Act.

User Charges

Direct fees charged to patients for accessing insured health services, explicitly banned under the Canada Health Act.

Comprehensiveness (Canada Health Act Principle)

The principle guaranteeing that provincial and territorial health insurance plans cover all medically necessary health services provided by hospitals and physicians.

Portability (Canada Health Act Principle)

The principle requiring health plans to cover residents when moving between provinces/territories or traveling abroad, subject to prior approval guidelines for elective out-of-province care.

Jordan's Principle

A child-first legal principle named in memory of Jordan River Anderson ensuring that the health and social needs of First Nations children are addressed immediately, with jurisdictional payment disputes resolved afterward.

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

A federal agency created in response to the SARS outbreak to conduct national disease surveillance and lead emergency preparedness.

Primary Health Care

A broad, whole-of-society philosophy covering clinical services, social determinants of health, social justice, and systemic prevention across the continuum of care, distinct from the initial clinical contact defined as primary care.

Absolute Homelessness

A state of living completely without physical shelter, highly associated with untreated medical conditions, concurrent mental illness, and lack of support.

Hidden Homelessness

Lacking a permanent address while temporarily residing with others, including couch surfing or sleeping in vehicles.

Street Exiting

A non-linear process that typically requires an average of $6$ attempts across six phases: precipitating factor, courage to change, seeking support, transitioning, restructuring, and successful exiting.

Enacted Stigma

Explicit behavioral discrimination and the denial of equitable treatment by external individuals or institutions.

Perceived / Felt Stigma

The internalization of negative societal prejudices, leading marginalized individuals to believe that they deserve mistreatment.

Harm Reduction

Non-judgmental policies, programs, and clinical practices aimed at mitigating the adverse physical and social consequences of high-risk behaviors without mandating abstinence.