Introduction to Community Health Nursing

Introduction to Community Health Nursing

• This study session introduces community health nursing, which focuses on family, group, and community care, extending beyond individual care.
• It covers working outside acute care settings in hospitals to homes, schools, recreational facilities, and work settings, to provide healthcare.
• Nurses need to understand community health as a special field, tracing its trend and future direction.

Learning Outcomes for Study Session 1

• Define community health
• Distinguish community health vs. public health
• Explain community health nursing characteristics
• Describe the components of community health nursing
• Explain the contribution of community health nursing globally
• Describe the history of community health nursing in Nigeria

Community Health

• Humans are social creatures, living in communities ranging from small villages to large cities.
• Community groups support people materially and emotionally.
• Community health influences collective health and well-being (WHO 2006).
• Community health seeks organized structure, resources, and collaboration to improve community health.

Public Health and Community Health

• Both are organized community efforts to promote, protect, and preserve people's health
• Public health focuses on official governmental efforts targeting health issues.
• Public health, in its mission, assures healthy conditions for people to live in.
• Community health is a localized sub-specialty of public health focusing on particular, designated communities.

The Concept of Community Health Nursing

• Community health nursing combines professional clinical nursing principles with public health and community practices.
• It aims to meet the health needs of individuals, families, and groups within their normal environments, like homes and workplaces.
• Community health nursing is geared towards promoting health and preventing illness rather than just treating disease.
• Practice takes places outside institutions: homes, schools, workplaces and communities.

Characteristics of Community Health Nursing

• Focused on populations rather than individuals
• Emphasizes promotion and prevention of illness
• Collects community data for planning
• Uses organizational and management theories for health care delivery
• Prioritizes client advocacy
• Considers physical, biological, and social environmental factors affecting health status.
• Focuses on individual/community health rather than disease
• Clients can be diverse populations, like families and communities

Settings for Community Health Nursing Practice

• Homes/residential places
• Markets
• Ambulatory services
• Workplaces
• Schools
• Prisons
• Camps
• Families
• Communities

Components of Community Health Nursing

• Health Promotion: Efforts to enhance well-being and improve wellness.
• Illness Prevention: Measures to prevent disease onset.
• Treatment: Dealing with illness.
• Rehabilitation: Restoring function and reducing disability
• Evaluation: Assess effectiveness of programs.
• Research: Conducting investigations on community health.

Prevention of Illness and Disease

• Anticipating and averting illness and diseases or discovering early to minimize disabilities.
• Primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention

Roles and Functions of Community Health Nurse

• Providing healthcare services, supervision, and education to individuals, families, and groups.
• Counseling and promoting personnel development
• Communicating process
• Participating in programs to prevent diseases
• Supervising and implementing health education measures.

Historical Development of Community Health Nursing

• Early roots trace back to ancient civilizations and religious orders, which provided informal care for the sick.
• The 17th century saw the establishment of poor relief and almshouses in Europe.
• 1800s witnessed Florence Nightingale's improvements in sanitation and hygiene, which had a huge impact on reducing mortality rates during the Crimean War.
• Lillian Wald's work founded public health nursing in the United States.
• Early 1900s saw the expansion of public health nursing in schools, factories, and homes, focusing on various issues like disease prevention and maternal and child health.
• 1930s-1940s saw challenges during the Great Depression and World War II (e.g. health needs of the impoverished, health services in military and civilian settings).
• 1950s-1960s saw significant expansion in public health services and focus on chronic disease management.
• 1970s-1980s saw the incorporation of various specialized roles in nursing like mental health nursing and school nursing.
• 1990s-present saw the establishment of formal community health nursing programs in universities and nursing schools to address specific health challenges in communities.
• Community health nursing in Nigeria has roots in the colonial period, post-independence health reforms, and evolving public health needs.

Contemporary Developments of Community health Nursing

• Health equity: Efforts to strengthen health capacity in underserved and marginalized communities.
• Global Health Influence: Community health nursing in Nigeria is influenced by global health initiatives and partnerships which has contributed to global health knowledge and practice.