Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing, GCSE Coursework Example

Introduction

Community assessment may be evaluated in different ways, depending on the population and the data that is required. Nurses must be able to conduct an assessment of the local community in order to determine the health needs of the population and the opportunities that are available to support an effective analysis of the situation. It is necessary to identify the different strengths and weaknesses of each type of community assessment in order to better evaluate outcomes and support a framework that will offer the desired benefits through the assessment process. This is also an important step towards the discovery of new ideas and solutions that will positively impact change to improve health within communities where the need is greatest.

Body

Problem-oriented approaches identify a specific problem or concern that requires further assessment and evaluates how the community has responded to that issue (Maurer & Smith, 2013). For example, chronic and infectious diseases are favorable starting points for problem-oriented approaches because they enable nurses to examine the issue and to determine the community’s relationship to that issue (Maurer & Smith, 2013). A single population approach examines one group of residents across different areas, such as health behaviors and other attributes that impact quality of life within this group (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Finally, the familiarization approach evaluates existing data regarding a community and determines how to distinguish between different populations who possess similar circumstances in order to determine how these target populations might benefit from the nurse-led assessment (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Each of these approaches has its strengths and weaknesses; therefore, they must be explored in detail in order to determine how to best support this population and its current needs (Maurer & Smith, 2013).

For a specific community with a high level of vulnerability, a single population-based approach is most desirable, followed by the familiarization approach because these perspectives facilitate a greater understanding of the community in its current state and the steps that are required to move forward and improve outcomes accordingly to enhance quality of life (Maurer & Smith, 2013). When a chronic disease, for example, is examined, the problem-oriented approach is necessary in order to evaluate the disease and how it has impacted a given community through this lens (Maurer & Smith, 2013). This practice supports the development of new ideas and strategies created and implemented by community nurses in order to accomplish the intended objectives to improve the health and wellbeing of the community in question (Maurer & Smith, 2013).

Nurse-led community assessments require expert knowledge that will serve to provide additional guidance and insight to ensure that the community is effectively served upon completion of the assessment. This involves a partnership between nurses and the community in order to accomplish these objectives and to determine how to best approach new directives to improve population health (Anderson & McFarlane, 2010). It is believed that a community-based environment will have a significant impact on outcomes and will demonstrate a high degree of support and encouragement for nurses to apply their knowledge and experience wisely in this setting. This practice also requires a strategy that will effectively support community health improvements when targeted programs are established that address the outcomes of the assessment tool.

Conducting a health assessment at the community level is essential in order to develop programs and strategies that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and quality of life. This is achieved through nurse-led strategies to support local residents and to provide a level of guidance and encouragement that will accomplish health-related improvements and meet specific population needs (Weber & Kelley, 2013). In comparison to the windshield survey, the community assessment targets a specific set of criteria within a given population and supports this experience through population-based evaluation and support. This practice and its specificity in comparison to the windshield survey requires a high degree of sustainability and an understanding of the different elements that support community observation and knowledge generation regarding the health of the population in question (Woeber, 2013). As a result, nurses must be prepared to evaluate many aspects of the community and to make decisions regarding its overall health status that will be specific to its members and provide them with resources to improve their health over time (Woeber, 2013).

Conclusion

It is important for a community assessment to be conducted by nurses based upon the manner of need and the opportunities that are available to improve population health and wellbeing. This practice is essential to the discovery of new insights that will have a positive and lasting impact on health outcomes. It also demonstrates the importance of developing new ideas to ensure that community residents receive the proper education and guidance in order to improve their health at the desired level. It also represents an opportunity to examine other areas that may have a lasting impact on residents through health intervention programs and knowledge to support behavioral change and progress at the desired level for improved health and quality of life for these residents. The role of a nurse in this process is to assess the community with the appropriate evaluation model and to be proactive in determining how to best move forward in providing future direction and guidance to the community in order to improve their health over the long term.

References

Anderson, E. T., & McFarlane, J. M. (2010). Community as partner: Theory and practice in nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Maurer, F.A., & Smith, C.M. (2013). Community/Public Health Nursing Practice: Health for                 Families & Populations. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Weber, J. R., & Kelley, J. H. (2013). Health assessment in nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Woeber, K. (2013). A sustainability framework to guide community assessment and problem solving. Nurse educator, 38(3), 89-91.