CONCEPT 10: COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
This concept is taken from module 11 of block 7 entitled “General Nursing”.
10.1 Significance of the Concept Community health nursing is the synthesis of nursing and public health practice applied to promote and protect the health of population. It combines all the basic elements of professional, clinical nursing with public health and community practice (Basavanthappa, 2007). Community health nursing is very essential particularly at this time because it maximizes the health status of individuals, families, groups and the community through direct approach with them. Community health nursing ensures nursing care of family in sick and health. It provides primary care in the community, ensures conduct or antenatal and postnatal services, ensures conduct of deliveries when required. Community health nursing makes sure that immunization is carried out. It promotes health of the children by conducting under five clinics and referring cases who require medical care (Alakija, 2000).
10.2 Implementations of Activities Related to the Concept Community health nurse provide health care through community diagnosis and investigation of major health and environmental problems, health surveillance and monitoring and evaluation of community and population health status for the purpose of preventing disease, promoting, protecting and maintaining health in order to create conditions in which people can be healthy. Community health nursing comprises the