how the environment impacts the health
how the environment impacts the health
2 postsRe: Topic 1 DQ 2
There are three elements the public health nurse (PHN) must consider when performing a community assessment.These elements include the population, location and social system (Green, 2018).When considering the focus of the assessment in the nursing process the PHN sets borders in order to assess the members within the community and the environment, determining variables and examining groups of people in different data sets.Outlining and identifying features of the population being assessed is the initial step the PHN completes when performing a focused assessment on a population (Green, 2018).Characteristics of the population’s demographic composition are the key elements for evaluating the needs within the defined group.
PHN need to consider how the environment impacts the health for the population being assessed.The geopolitical place should be factored into a population assessment.The geopolitical place comprises the boundaries of the community, availability of public or private transportation, the characteristics of the geographic area, the climate, housing and native plants and animals (Green, 2018).How each of these elements potentially affects health can all be considered in the assessment.Geopolitical borders include ZIP codes, neighborhoods and school and health districts while man-made borders include streets, bridges and structures.These borders are utilized in epidemiologic studies to establish the demographics and health services/resources.Geographical informational systems are useful to establish patterns of health, inequalities in health within a setting that may be a result of the geographical influences (Green, 2018).By considering the geopolitical influences on a population, the PHN can plan interventions to be implemented.
In contrast to the geographical and geopolitical location, a phenomenological place is the considers the history, cultures, spiritual beliefs, values and economics of a population (Green, 2018).The phenomenological characteristics of a population are what creates the sense of belonging for members in the community.Individuals may be part of different phenomenological places based on their individual religious, political and cultural beliefs.The PHN should consider the relationships, similar beliefs and goals when performing the assessment in order to establish the health status and needs of the community.
Following the assessment, the nurse then can determine the needs and risks within the population, set goals, plan interventions to be implemented and then evaluate the outcome.For example, an elementary school nurses assesses the students and finds a large amount to be overweight.After a comprehensive assessment, the nursing diagnosis impaired nutrition: more than bodily requirements is selected.The nurse can than set the realistic goal with the students that they will be able to select 3 healthy foods when presented with different options.Interventions would include education about healthy diet and exercise and the importance of health promotion and healthy lifestyle to prevent disease, taught at the students knowledge level.After the educational sessions are implemented, the nurse can then evaluate and reassess the need for further interventions.
