1. The recognized needs of individuals, families, and communities anchor practice. You apply public health measures within the larger CHN effort, starting from what people actually need.
2. Know the agency's objectives and policies. Understanding the mission lets you direct your service toward the goals you are accountable for.
3. The family is the unit of service. A family's level of functioning depends on how well it handles its own problems, which makes it the most effective channel for CHN work.
4. Respect the client's values, customs, and beliefs. Care lands better when it fits the people receiving it. Services must stay available, sustainable, and affordable to all regardless of race, creed, color, or socioeconomic status.
5. Health education and counseling are core functions, not extras. They drive community discussion of the issues that affect people's health.
6. Collaborative relationships with coworkers and the health team get goals met. Each member should see how their work serves the whole effort.
7. Periodic, continuing evaluation tells you whether goals are being met. Involve clients in appraising their own program through consultations, observation, and accurate recording.
8. Continuing staff education keeps practice sound. Plan staff development around the professional interests and needs of the nurses delivering care.
9. Use indigenous and existing community resources. Linking with local resources, public and private, raises awareness of what care people need and what they are entitled to.
10. Active participation of the individual, family, and community drives program success. Encourage organized community groups to take part in activities that meet local needs.
11. Supervision by qualified CHN personnel guides the work. Good supervision develops employees' capacity for effective, efficient practice.
12. Accurate recording and reporting are the basis for evaluation. Records track progress, guide future action, feed studies and research, and stand as legal documents, so maintaining them is a vital responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is community health nursing? It is the synthesis of general nursing practice and public health, aimed at promoting and preserving the health of a whole population rather than one patient at a time. The American Public Health Association frames it as protecting population health using nursing, social, and public health science.
Who is the unit of service in community health nursing? The family. A family's ability to handle its own problems shapes how well its members function, which makes the family the most effective channel for community health work even when one person is the immediate concern.
How is community health nursing different from hospital nursing? Hospital nursing centers on the individual patient inside a facility. Community health nursing moves into homes and communities, emphasizes prevention and health education, and works through families, groups, and existing local resources to reach a population.
Why are health education and counseling considered core functions? They drive community discussion of the issues that affect people's health, build the population's capacity to act on its own behalf, and prevent illness rather than only treating it, which is the central goal of the field.
How does a community health nurse know the work is succeeding? Through periodic, continuing evaluation tied to accurate records and reports. Involving clients in appraising their own program, through consultation, observation, and documentation, shows whether goals are being met and guides the next steps.
What credentials and standards guide public health nursing practice? The American Nurses Association publishes the Public Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, which sets the national standards registered nurses in public health are expected to meet.