Community Assessment Models to Facilitate Communication, Coursework Example

Introduction

The development of successful approaches to health promotion require effective communication and an understanding of the current challenges and limitations that individuals face within the community that must be overcome. It is important to identify these concerns and to take the steps that are necessary to improve health promotion and the protection of community residents for their own health and wellbeing. By using a proven intervention method, it is likely that there will be significant benefits for community residents to expand healthier outcomes. This is best achieved through the use of an intervention wheel that encompasses a variety of components of healthcare practice to ensure that wellbeing is optimized at all times (Keller, 2004). The following discussion will address these components in greater detail in order to accomplish improved health promotion for local residents.

Body

The most influential components of health promotion include advocacy, outreach, screening, counseling, and health teaching (Keller, 2004). Each of these factors represent a means of exploring different areas of health promotion that are likely to promote greater outcomes in different communities (Keller, 2004). For example, healthcare advocacy requires the development of realistic approaches to recognizing community-based health concerns, such as mental health and disease prevention, amongst others (Foy and Perrin, 2010). In this context, it is important to identify the different areas of advocacy that are instrumental in improving health promotion at the community level, such as mental health and preventative services (Foy and Perrin, 2010). These and other examples demonstrate that it is important for nurses to support community-based initiatives that will promote advocacy and other efforts in a positive manner (Foy and Perrin, 2010).

Health promotion outreach requires knowledgeable experts in nursing and in other healthcare fields to go into communities and address health concerns with local residents using a variety of strategies (Releford et.al, 2010). In particular, many different cultures are represented by challenging health circumstances that must be addressed in the form of targeted outreach, such as that which is provided in African American communities (Releford et.al, 2010). These efforts are important in addressing specific areas where health promotion is lacking and must be improved to ensure that the health-based needs of community members are not lacking in any way (Releford et.al, 2010).

Screening is a highly effective prevention tool in many communities and may demonstrate the importance of identifying trends within communities regarding disease state and prevention. In addition, screening serves as a visible reminder of the importance of creating an environment that encourages individuals to be screened for a variety of conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. Screening tools are also relevant because they demonstrate the importance of screening as a viable tool in the prevention of illness throughout the life span, from childhood diseases to cancers and other conditions that may likely occur in the adult years. This is an important step towards the development of new strategies to improve and expand screening across communities.

Counseling is a critical component of health promotion in many communities. It is important to identify the different areas where there are significant disparities and to determine how to best move forward to promote improved health and wellbeing through counseling regarding different concerns and areas where health promotion is currently lacking. These efforts require a greater understanding of the elements that contribute to the identification of areas where counseling is required in order to improve health promotion activities and related outcomes (Woolf et.al, 2011).

Finally, education is a critical component of health promotion in communities because it reflects a means of addressing specific concerns where there is a general lack of knowledge regarding some issues as they impact the general public (Mooney et.al, 2011). It is important to identify the specific areas where education is lacking or is minimized by such issues as limited funding or the availability of experts (Mooney et.al, 2011). From this perspective, it is necessary to address the different aspects of education that are required to instill health promotion in individuals to promote positive outcomes (Mooney et.al, 2011). These issues are effective indicators of the ability of nurses to share their knowledge and perspectives regarding patient care and treatment in different ways (Mooney et.al, 2011).

Conclusion

Health promotion activities require a unique understanding of the community-based population and how it might be impacted by specific strategies that are designed to improve outcomes and to reduce disparities. In many communities, health promotion activities are limited due to a lack of knowledge or an understanding of the different elements that support community health and wellbeing. In this context, it is important to identify the different areas whereby there are issues or gaps in knowledge and research. It is important to utilize the key strengths associated with the community and its people in different ways. This will ensure that the community is well-prepared to handle the issues that arise with respect to health and wellbeing, and this is best accomplished through the creation of an environment that supports such activities as advocacy and outreach for these population groups to promote greater benefits from these programs.

References

Foy, J.M., and Perrin, J. (2010). Enhancing pediatric mental health care: strategies for preparing a community. Pediatrics, 125(3), S75-S86.

Keller, L.O., Strohschein, S., Lia-Hoagberg, B., and Schaffer, M.A. (2004). Population-based public health interventions: practice-based and evidence-supported: Part I. Public Health Nursing, 21(5), 453-468.

Mooney, B., Timmins, F., Byrne, G., and Corroon, A.M. (2011). Nursing students’ attitudes to health promotion to: implications for teaching practice.

Releford, B.J., Frencher, S.K., and Yancey, A.K. (2010). Health promotion in barbershops: balancing outreach and research in African American communities. Ethnicity&Disease, 20, 185-188.

Woolf, S.H., Dekker, M.M., Byrne, F.R., and Miller, W.D. (2011). Citizen-centered health promotion: building collaborations to facilitate healthy living. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 40(1)(1), S38-S47.