The overarching purpose of a community health nurse, briefly CHN, is to attain the most excellent level of health possible for the people and community concerned. Suprapto and Lalla (2021) state that community nurses play a vital role in community health promotion and prevention, as well as health development. Health development is the practice of enhancing people’s knowledge, motivation, and capacity to live a healthy lifestyle in order to attain a maximum level of public health (Suprapto & Lalla, 2021). Kiper and Geist (2020) acknowledge that CHNs offer treatment in the homes of patients in both urban and rural settings, as well as at planned events, organizations, and institutions that support individuals with unique health needs. Community health clinics, community nursing facilities, schools, churches, housing projects, municipal and state health agencies, neighborhood centers, homeless shelters, and work locations are examples of settings (Kiper & Geist, 2020). Hence, the role of the community health nurse in my community is to promote and maintain individual and family health, prevent and alleviate disease onset, and raise the standard of life.
A community nurse should offer direct care and treatment, educate people or the general public about health, advocate for health reforms, and conduct community health research. According to World Health Organization (2017), CHNs have the potential to make significant contributions to meeting the health care requirements of diverse populations in a range of community settings. Furthermore, there are other vital aspects of community health nursing practice (World Health Organization, 2017). Firstly, a population’s health and health care requirements are analyzed utilizing systematic methodologies designed to determine sub-populations, households, and individuals who may benefit from health education programs or are at risk of disease, trauma, disability, or premature mortality. Secondly, CHNs frequently attempt to remedy illnesses caused by biological, physical, sociological, or environmental factors. Interventions are constructed in partnership with the community through program design and policy change advocacy, assisting in meeting locally defined needs.
Essentially, CHNs are accountable for the efficient and fair execution of public health practices and initiatives. Communities are diverse and ever-changing; to be efficient, CHNs must respond to changing situations in order to provide high-quality, needs-based healthcare (World Health Organization, 2017). Thus, they must possess exceptional clinical abilities as well as the capacity to think critically, analyze complicated circumstances, and lobby for patient-centered treatment and health and wellbeing objectives.
Windshield Survey: Educational Goals and Vital Statistics
Windshield Survey was performed using my neighborhood, namely 345 Sunnyside Lane Townsend, DE 19734. CHNs combine clinical expertise with community engagement and outreach activities, as well as the use of powerful tools and tactics to respond to health problems and improve overall health (Kiper & Geist, 2020). Thus, understanding a community’s culture, beliefs, attitudes, and customs is one of the first stages determining its healthcare needs. Kiper and Geist (2020) suggest that a windshield survey entails examining geographical elements such as green areas and playgrounds and the locations of facilities, healthcare organizations, companies, and schools. Using this approach, community nurses can construct particular notions about the community’s health, strengths, and possible health concerns (Kiper & Geist, 2020). The survey helps to answer the community’s priority health concern and what assessment data/evidence prompted community health professionals to designate this matter as the primary issue.
The neighborhood is mainly composed of single houses in a small-town, rural environment. The architecture is distinguished by a broad range of housing sizes and styles, ranging from colonial to contemporary. Furthermore, the neighborhood is picturesque and walkable, with sidewalks and tree-lined streets. The area’s housing units are all single-family residences. The most typical kind of residence is a single-family detached house. The utilities are in good working order, and there is no sign of crime or damage. Essentially, there is no evident sign of drug misuse in the neighborhood. There are no communicable diseases in the area, and residents have access to nutritious food/fruit/veg from the local store.
The first concern is that there is just one bus stop nearby, Summit Bridge Rd @ Main St: Bus 302; it is safe. Nonetheless, because public transportation is scarce, residents rely heavily on driving and bicycling for transportation. Therefore, there is an issue of adequate access to healthcare services. When looking into community amenities, it was discovered that there are no nearby bars, clubs, or restaurants. The nearest pub (CP’s Pub South) is 4.7 miles away. Furthermore, there are no fast-food restaurants in the area. The second and one of the most pressing concerns is the locals’ physical activity. CrossFit (4.8 miles) and Done Done Fitness (3.7 miles) are the nearest fitness centers; YMCA Silver Lake Pool is the nearest swimming pool (5 miles). Therefore, education on the necessity of regular exercise should be offered. The third concern is that Smith’s Liquors, a local liquor shop, is located nearby. As a result, communities should be informed of the dangers of alcohol misuse.
Moreover, the fourth concern is that no hospitals are in the immediate vicinity. Townsend Fire Company, Station 26, provides fire and emergency medical services. Nevertheless, the nearest hospital, Delaware Hospital, is 9.7 miles away. Bright Dental: Family Dentistry is the closest dental practice, located 3.5 miles away. The neighboring general practitioner (GP) is 10 miles distant. The health care services are relatively far enough and can only be reached by car. Hence, it is critical to notify residents about the provincial health information and advice phone line.
Finally, the fifth concern is the high percentages of children and elderly in the neighborhood. According to Kiper and Geist (2020), homeless people, veterans, patients with impairments, older people, pregnant women, smokers, newborns, children, adolescents, and those at risk for a specific disease are frequently the focus of care. Thus, one of the CHN’s tasks when preparing programs for locals is to pay attention to children and older adults. The local school, namely Townsend Elementary School, provides education for children aged 4-11. Thus, the health needs of children and the elderly should be evaluated. The educational program on health should be conducted to decrease hospital visits and admissions and accelerate hospital discharge.
Health Needs: Health Education Topic from Healthy People 2020
The particular health needs were identified based on the findings: general health care, oral health care, and geographical availability of health services. The results of the windshield survey were utilized to target Healthy People 2020 objectives. In the targeted neighborhood, the community requires assistance with access to healthcare. Thus, the health education topic selected from Healthy People is ‘Access to Health Services’ (Healthy People, 2020). The overarching objective is to increase access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services. The topic focuses on three aspects of access to care: insurance coverage, health services, and treatment timeliness (Healthy People, 2020). When evaluating health care access, it is essential to include dental health care; acquire required prescription medicines.
Among the goals are to increase the number of people who have health insurance and increase the proportion of people who have a specified source of continuous care. Furthermore, it is critical to lower the number of people who are unable or delayed in accessing necessary medical treatment, dental care, or prescription medications (Healthy People, 2020). Xue et al. (2018) emphasize that access to adequate primary care is difficult for rural populations and those living in places where primary care health professionals are in limited supply. These localities experience significant issues in providing primary care demand and are disproportionately impacted by the rising primary care physician shortage (Xue et al., 2018). Therefore, the neighborhood’s healthcare educational program should be conducted to enhance health promotion, maintenance, and restoration.
Synopsis
Essentially, visits to churches, such as Immanuel United Methodist Church, Christ Transformation Temple, theMISSION, and the local school, Townsend Elementary School, should be arranged to inform locals about the educational program. Additionally, it is critical to cooperate with the fire and police facility in the neighborhood, which is Townsend Fire Company, Station 26. The interventions proposed are home health services might hold quarterly community meetings to offer updates on healthcare education, such as dental healthcare and physical activity. The educational program will explain the significance of health insurance coverage, which will assist patients in gaining access to the health care system. Furthermore, expanding access to health care services is dependent on ensuring that patients have a consistent and continuous source of treatment.
Improving healthcare services entails expanding access to and utilization of evidence-based preventative services. For instance, CHN can prevent sickness by encouraging healthy habits in persons who do not have risk factors (Healthy People, 2020). As a result, the program will aim to educate communities about healthy living and nutritional food. Healthy habits, such as hygiene and sanitation, should be promoted to children to prevent diseases and infections. Aside from primary care and preventative treatments, emergency medical services (EMS) formulate a vital link in the care chain (Healthy People, 2020). Thus, the information regarding EMS should be provided to locals.
Moreover, locals, especially older adults, will be educated on the use of telehealth. Keenan et al. (2021) emphasize that nursing is most often connected with telehealth practice, specifically community nursing. Telehealth refers to healthcare services delivered via audio and video technologies. Gajarawala and Pelkowski (2021) inform that telehealth includes medical training, remote patient monitoring, videoconferencing, mobile applications, and imaging and medical reporting transmission. Increased emphasis on patient happiness, efficient and reliable treatment, and cost-cutting have also resulted in increased telehealth deployment (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Telemedicine can significantly minimize healthcare costs by reducing issues such as pharmaceutical overuse, unneeded emergency appointments, and extended hospitalizations (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Because of the great distance between the Delaware hospital and the neighborhood, telehealth education for residents will be critical.
Program’s Educational Effectiveness
The program’s educational efficacy will be measured by increasing insurance coverage and access to the complete treatment continuum, including dental care. The initiative should also impact the growing usage of telehealth among locals as a new technique of delivering health care. Additionally, there should be a significant decrease in hospital admissions due to early prevention and locals’ education on preventive services. The program should increase the residents’ physical activity and improve general health by promoting a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, and highlighting the dangers of alcohol abuse. Moreover, there should be a significant reduction in children’s infections and diseases due to education on hygiene and sanitation conducted at the local school.
References
Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth benefits and barriers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218-221. Web.
Healthy People. (2020). Access to health services. ODPHP. Web.
Keenan, A. J., Tsourtos, G., & Tieman, J. (2021). The value of applying ethical principles in telehealth practices: systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(3), Web.
Kiper, V., & Geist, R. (2020). Nurses on the frontline. Improving community health. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 18(3), 22–26. Web.
Suprapto, T. C. M., & Lalla, N. S. N. (2021). Nurse competence in implementing public health care. International Journal of Public Health, 10(2), 428-432. Web.
World Health Organization. (2017). Enhancing the role of community health nursing for universal health coverage. World Health Organization. Web.
Xue, Y., Kannan, V., Greener, E., Smith, J. A., Brasch, J., Johnson, B. A., & Spetz, J. (2018). Full scope-of-practice regulation is associated with higher supply of nurse practitioners in rural and primary care health professional shortage counties. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8(4), 5–13. Web.