Question

Answer each of the questions using critical thinking from Evidence-Based Practices
The nurse at a local Public Health Department talks to the director of the Department, who needs to determine what are the main public health problems in the community and prioritize them to better allocate resources. The principal formed a committee to assist in this process. The principal asks the nurse to participate on the committee because of the nurse's interest in men's health. The principal asks the nurse to identify up to 10 major health problems in the community, prioritize them, and recommend strategies to improve men's health in the community. The director wants a report that supports the conclusions and strategies that the department could implement. Based on the previous scenario, answer the following questions?
1. What information do you want to collect? Identify the 10 health problems in the community.
2. How would you identify the priorities in your area?
3. What positive and negative factors may be influencing these issues?
4. How would you select strategies to improve health problems?
5. What interventions, if any, are currently being used?
6. Who are the key participants you would need?
7. Have these issues been addressed effectively elsewhere? Are they effective? If they have, what have they done?

Answer 1

1) As a health professional we have to collect the health history from the community people, life style, customs of community, religious events & occupation of the people.

Following are the most common health problems:

• Diarrheal disease
• Acute respiratory infection
• Heart & blood vessel disorder
• Tobacco use
• Alcoholism
• Mental disorder
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Nutritional anemia
• Tuberculosis

2) The priorities of the health problems of the community is based on the following :

• Morbidity rate
• Mortality rate
• Incidence rate

The disease which has these rates high is ranked at the top and that health problem with least rates is prioritized at the end.

3) Positive factors include :

• Increase family
• Social support in doing activities that may contribute to health issues like tobacco use & alcoholism, following the customs of community that are harmful.

Negative factors include :

• Advanced age
• Radiation exposure
• Depression
• Decreased meals due to financial problems
• Social isolation

4) The strategies should be selected by using following steps :

• Identify the health problems
• Search for interventions  
• Select the most appropriate intervention
• Apply appropriate intervention
• Check the efficiency 9f the intervention
• Select the intervention if the efficiency rate is good.  

5) Interventions being used on community basis are as:

• Health education
• Environmental sanitation
• Home visits
• Registration of vital events
• Up gradation of sub centers & primary health centers.
• Recruiting community health workers

6) Community Healthcare Nursing Personnel includes :

• Health worker female ( ANM)
• Health worker male
• Health assistant male
• Health assistant female
• Public Health Nurse ( PHC)
• District public health nurse
• District public health nursing officer
• Mid level of health care provider ( MLPHS)  

7) These issues might be addressed effectively in many communities, these issues are effective If these strategies are followed effectively & cooperatively.

Interventions used are as :

• Assessment of self & family
• Routine / regular health checkups
• Immunization
• Counselling
• Maintaining health records
• Continue medical care & follow up in community for various diseases and disabilities.
• Carrying out therapeutic procedures as prescribed.
• Handle social issues affecting community health
• Waste management.