More emphasis is being placed on healthier communities as changes are occurring in the fields of healthcare financing, policy, and focus. One of the primary roles of a community health nurse is to assess the community or population in order to determine its health status in relation to its assets and needs.
Requirements:
A. Identify an appropriate community for which there is published data available (county, state, or national data) that will support the diagnosis.
B. Assess the health needs and risks of the identified community by utilizing the following tools:
Note: The collection of this data should include a variety of data sources, such as focus groups with older adults and/or youth, epidemiological data from the health department or department of vital statistics, investigations of community resources from stakeholders or faith-based organizations, and/or surveys. You do not have to answer every question listed in the assessment tools. Each of these tools can be found either in the web links section or as an attachment to this task.
• Population Economic Status Assessment
• Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory
• Cultural Assessment Tool
• Disaster Assessment and Planning Guide
• Windshield Survey
• Population Health Scavenger Hunt
Note: The name of each of the six tools should be identified in the needs assessment summary, along with a brief summary of how each of the six tools was used in the needs assessment.
1. Interpret the collected data using concepts of epidemiology and health determinants (e.g., birth rate, death rate, rates of disease, morbidity).
C. Formulate an appropriate community diagnosis for the selected community by doing the following (suggested length of 4–6 pages):
1. Identify the top three problems for the selected community based on the Healthy People 2020 goals.
a. Discuss the problems in relation to the Healthy People 2020 goals.
2. Select one of the problems identified in part C1 that you would like to investigate further, and do the following:
a. Discuss community resources (e.g., Public Health Department, American Red Cross, American Heart) that are available to address this problem.
3. Formulate a primary prevention topic based on the problem you identified in part C2.
Note: See the attached “Approved Topic List” for guidance in formulating your topic.
D. Include all in-text citations and references in APA format.
Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.
Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the assessment.
Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section.
