Population and Community Health Nursing Exam Practice

Population and Community Health Nursing Exam Practice

Tips for Studying

Focus on understanding key concepts and their applications in real-world scenarios.
Engage in group discussions to enhance understanding of topics.
Use case studies to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations.
Review community health models and frameworks, as they often guide practice.

Question: What is the primary focus of population health nursing?

Answer: The primary focus of population health nursing is to improve the health outcomes of a defined population through the assessment of health needs, development of interventions, and evaluation of outcomes. This involves working to address social determinants of health and ensuring access to care.

Question: What are the key components of a community health assessment?

Answer: A community health assessment typically includes the following components:
- Data Collection: Gathering quantitative and qualitative data on health status, resources, and needs.
- Community Engagement: Involving community members in the assessment process to ensure their perspectives and needs are represented.
- Identification of Health Issues: Analyzing data to identify prevalent health issues and disparities within the community.
- Strengths and Resources: Assessing existing community resources and strengths that can be leveraged for health improvement.

Question: Describe the concept of health equity.

Answer: Health equity refers to the principle of ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of social, economic, or environmental factors. It involves addressing and eliminating disparities in health outcomes and access to healthcare services among different populations.

Question: What is the role of a community health nurse in health promotion?

Answer: A community health nurse plays a vital role in health promotion by:
- Educating the community about healthy lifestyle choices and preventive measures.
- Developing and implementing health education programs tailored to specific community needs.
- Collaborating with other health professionals and organizations to promote community health initiatives.
- Advocating for policies that enhance community health and access to services.

Question: What is the purpose of epidemiological surveillance in public health?

Answer: The purpose of epidemiological surveillance is to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret health data to monitor the health of populations. This helps identify outbreaks, track disease trends, inform public health interventions, and allocate resources effectively to prevent and control diseases.

Question: What strategies can community health nurses use to reduce health disparities?

Answer: Community health nurses can employ several strategies to reduce health disparities, including:
- Conducting outreach programs to underserved populations to increase access to care.
- Providing culturally competent care that respects and responds to the needs of diverse communities.
- Collaborating with community organizations to address social determinants of health.
- Advocating for policy changes that promote health equity.

Question: What is the importance of culturally competent care in community health nursing?

Answer: Culturally competent care is essential in community health nursing as it ensures that healthcare services are respectful of and tailored to the cultural needs of diverse populations. It improves communication, builds trust between healthcare providers and patients, enhances patient satisfaction, and ultimately leads to better health outcomes.

Population and Community Health Nursing Exam Study Guide to Improve Your Academic Scores!

Set 1

The nurse is designing a program for pregnant adolescents in the community. The program will focus on fetal development, appropriate nutrition, developing social support systems, and screening for potential abuse by partners or others. This is an example of:

Community-driven care.
Community-focused care.
Community-based nursing.
Population health nursing.

Explanation: 4. Population health nursing is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences. The population will benefit from the program because the adolescents will be healthier and deliver healthier infants, thus saving on health care costs. Community-based nursing is nurses providing sick care in community settings. Community-focused care is bringing nursing knowledge and expertise to the community, but it does not have a population focus. Community-driven care focuses on the needs of the community as a whole and emphasizes community participation in determining those needs. It can limit the focus of practice to health needs identified by the population group, and could thus exclude pregnant adolescents.

The nurse meets with members of the community in open forums to help determine ways to improve health. The nurse identifies health problems in the community based on the community input and the nurse’s community assessment. In this situation, the nurse is practicing:

Public-health nursing.
Community-driven care.
Community-focused care.
Community-oriented care.

Explanation: 3. Community-focused care brings nursing knowledge and expertise to the community. Public health nursing has a perceived focus of environmental sanitation and controlling communicable diseases. Community-driven care focuses on the needs of the community as a whole, but can be limited to only addressing needs identified by community members. Community-oriented care is limited and focuses program development on small aggregates while potentially ignoring health issues affecting larger population groups.

Nursing/Int.Conc: Nursing Process: Implementation

The nurse holds community forums to gain input in determining the health needs for the community. Issues raised the forum focus on the need for nutrition education, but the nurse notices that many community members are outside smoking before entering the building. The nurse acknowledges the importance of nutrition education, but addresses the incorporation of smoking cessation education as part of a total lifestyle choice program. Which type of nursing is the nurse implementing?

Public health nursing.
Community-driven nursing.
Population-focused nursing.
Community-focused nursing.

Explanation: 3. The nurse gained input from the community as to their concerns, but also noted that a health concern was smoking. This is population-focused in that it incorporates other population health issues based on the nurse’s assessment and are not focused solely on the community’s concerns. Community-driven care focuses on the needs of the community as a whole and emphasizes community participation in determining those needs. Community-focused nursing is defined as the bringing of nursing knowledge and expertise to the community but such care may not have a population focus. Public health nursing is indicative of governmental or official agency oversight and jurisdiction with a focus on control of communicable diseases and environmental sanitation.

The population health nurse reviews the standards for population-focused care prior to meeting with a group of patients. On which standards should the nurse focus to determine this population’s risk for developing health problems related to obesity? (Select all that apply.)

Standard 1: Assessment.
Standard 2: Diagnosis.
Standard 8: Competency.
Standard 12: Ethics.
Standard 13: Evidence-based practice.

Answer: 1, 2, 5

Explanation: 1. The first standard addresses assessment where the population health nurse collects data needed to assess the health status of the population and to identify factors contributing to health and illness in the population. Under Standard 2, the nurse analyzes health assessment data to derive population health diagnoses, which are then prioritized to promote effective action. Standard 13 is the integration of research findings into evidence-based practice. This is important for this population because of the disease process and related health problems. Standard 8 focuses on attaining knowledge and maintaining competency in nursing and public health practice. There is no specific evidence to suggest that the nurse needs to attain additional knowledge. Standard 12 emphasizes the need for ethical behavior on the part of the population health nurse. There is no specific evidence to suggest that extra emphasis is needed on ethic for this patient population.

The first standard addresses assessment where the population health nurse collects data needed to assess the health status of the population and to identify factors contributing to health and illness in the population. Under Standard 2, the nurse analyzes health assessment data to derive population health diagnoses, which are then prioritized to promote effective action. Standard 13 is the integration of research findings into evidence-based practice. This is important for this population because of the disease process and related health problems. Standard 8 focuses on attaining knowledge and maintaining competency in nursing and public health practice. There is no specific evidence to suggest that the nurse needs to attain additional knowledge. Standard 12 emphasizes the need for ethical behavior on the part of the population health nurse. There is no specific evidence to suggest that extra emphasis is needed on ethic for this patient population.
The first standard addresses assessment where the population health nurse collects data needed to assess the health status of the population and to identify factors contributing to health and illness in the population. Under Standard 2, the nurse analyzes health assessment data to derive population health diagnoses, which are then prioritized to promote effective action. Standard 13 is the integration of research findings into evidence-based practice. This is important for this population because of the disease process and related health problems. Standard 8 focuses on attaining knowledge and maintaining competency in nursing and public health practice. There is no specific evidence to suggest that the nurse needs to attain additional knowledge. Standard 12 emphasizes the need for ethical behavior on the part of the population health nurse. There is no specific evidence to suggest that extra emphasis is needed on ethic for this patient population.

Nursing/Int.Conc: Nursing Process: Implementation

The population health nurse is helping a client identify alternative solutions for a health problem. In which focus and role is the nurse functioning in this situation?

Client-oriented and educator.
Delivery-oriented and case manager.
Client-oriented and counselor.
Population-oriented and counselor.

The population health nurse is helping a client identify alternative solutions for a health problem. In which focus and role is the nurse functioning in this situation?

Client-oriented and educator.
Delivery-oriented and case manager.
Client-oriented and counselor.
Population-oriented and counselor.

The nurse is functioning as a liaison within a local clinic. What action is the nurse performing in this role?

1. Serving as initial point of contact between client and agency.

2. Coordinating and directing the use of health care services.

3. Organizing and integrating services.

4. Creating alliances of individuals or groups to achieve a specific purpose.

The nurse is caring for a specific population within a community. Which nursing action should the nurse use to exemplify the population health nurse’s case finding role?

1. Assess a client’s need for education.

2. Advocate for a mother who is being seen in a clinic.

3. Carry out an investigation of meningitis cases.

4. Develop an educational plan for a group of adolescents.

The population nurse becomes aware of a treatment plant that is depositing waste materials into the drinking water. Efforts to have this plant change its behavior have failed and the nurse has been asked by community members to intervene. Which action should the nurse perform when advocating for the community members?

1. Provide a list of community members who are employees of the treatment plant.

2. Analyze other community approaches used to address similar water treatment issues.

3. Collect information about the waste materials being introduced into the water supply.

4. Examine community members for health problems believed to be caused by the contaminated water.

The population health nurse is reviewing the recommendations within the Report of the Massachusetts Sanitary Commission drafted by Lemuel Shattuck. What should the nurse identify as being the most important effect of this document?

Establishing state boards of health.
Establishing workhouses for the sick poor.
Mobilizing social reform to sanitary engineering.

4. Refuting that poverty was the result of deficiencies in moral character

The nurse is reviewing the evolution of national health care systems in countries throughout Europe and the United States for a school project. In which century should the nurse emphasize that national health insurance in the United States was first proposed?

1. Late 20th century.

2. Mid-20th century.

3. Early 20th century.

4. Mid-19th century.

In preparation for a health fair the nurse wants to explain the role of ancient civilizations on water purification. Which civilizations should the nurse highlight as being advocates for clean water supplies? (Select all that apply.)

1. Aztecs.

2. Greeks.

3. Romans.

4. Germans.

5. Egyptians.

The population health nurse is discussing the first organized approach to home nursing of the sick that was established in 1813 by the Ladies’ Benevolent Society of Charleston, SC, in response to a yellow fever epidemic. What important aspect of the care provided by this organization should the nurse emphasize?

1. Restricted to women and children.

2. Directed to those residing in the Jewish community.

3. Restricted to those who were able to pay for services.

4. Nondenominational and nondiscriminatory in an era of racial discrimination.

The population health nurse is researching the activities of Margaret Sanger for a school paper. The nurse should explain the actions of Ms. Sanger as combining social activism with nursing to her clients by:

1. Advocating for better care for the mentally ill.

2. Reducing rural childbirth morbidity and mortality rates.

3. Providing information about contraceptive services to women.

4. Providing education regarding improved nutrition for families.

Prior to providing care to a family the population health nurse reflects on the achievements of historical nurses who influenced approaches used today to provide care. Which historical figure should the nurse attribute to the combination of political activism with health promotion and disease prevention to improve individual and societal conditions affecting health?

1. Lillian Wald.

2. Lavinia Dock.

3. Lina Struthers.

4. Mary Brewster.

The nurse is preparing a seminar on population health for a group of staff nurses in a community health clinic. Which events that demonstrated the effectiveness of population health nursing in the United States should the nurse emphasize? (Select all that apply.)

1. Formation of the Red Cross.

2. School nursing program in New York City.

3. Improvement of sanitary conditions in slum areas.

4. Formation of benevolent societies to care for the sick poor.

5. Visiting nurse services of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

While conducting a training class for hospice nurses, the nurse explains the actions taken by William Rathbone, a Quaker philanthropist who implemented nursing care at home for the sick in England. Mr. Rathbone enlisted Florence Nightingale’s assistance to develop a concept of nursing care, which he later adopted in the United States after witnessing its benefits to his dying wife. Which aspect of care should the nurse attribute to Mr. Rathbone?

1. Home nursing.

2. Parish nursing.

3. District nursing.

4. Community nursing.

A group of nursing students are researching governmental efforts to address health promotion-focused public health. Which legislation should the students identify as starting this change in providing care?

1. Hill-Burton Act.

2. Child Health Act.

3. Social Security Act.

4. Sheppard-Towner Act.

While reviewing the history of health care services as part of an education program the nurse learns that the passage of the amended Social Security Act created Medicare and Medicaid, which increased demands for health care services. How did The National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974 attempt to address the demand for health care services?

1. Increasing funds to improve the health status of the indigent poor.

2. Recognizing that increased hospitals improved the public health status.

3. Increasing funds for more health services to improve public health status.

4. Recognizing the contribution of health practitioners to the public health status.

The nurse case manager is explaining to a group of health care providers how insurance expenditures for health spending led to the development of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in efforts to control spending. What should the case manager emphasize as the driving force for directing health efforts with DRGs?

1. Organize services to be more cost-effective.

2. Decreasing length of stays for hospitalizations.

3. Placing the emphasis on the community to improve population health status.

4. Emphasizing health promotion to decrease hospitalizations and medical costs.

As part of a school assignment the graduate nursing student is reviewing documents that address population health nursing practice in the United States. Which document should the student emphasize as being the most current policy promulgated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services?

1. Lalonde Report.

2. Healthy People 2010.

3. Future of Public Health.

4. Declaration of Alma Alta.

The population health nurse is reviewing the concept of health-for-all with a group of new nurses. What should the nurse explain as the significance of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion to population health nursing practice?

1. Created specific mechanisms to categorize nursing services.

2. Provided a mechanism for prospective payment for hospital services.

3. Identified assessment, policy formation, and assurance as key indicators for global health.

4. Focused on social, economic, and political reforms as strategies to improve global health.

The nurse is identifying events that can shape the future of population health nursing practice for a group of nursing students. Which event should the nurse emphasize?

1. International effort to eradicate smallpox.

2. Prospective payment for nursing services.

3. Surveillance of the CDC on population health.

4. Threat of terrorism to harm the public’s health.

The mental health nurse is seeing patients recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder in an out-patient health clinic. Which historical figure should the nurse recognize as being instrumental in improving the care provided to patients with mental disabilities?

1. Clara Barton.

2. Dorothea Dix.

3. Harriet Tubman.

4. Sojourner Truth.

A graduate nurse has scheduled an appointment with the director of the Center for Nursing Research within the National Institutes of Health. What types of research should the graduate nurse prepare to discuss during this meeting?

1. Medication compliance.

2. Reduction in sentinel events.

3. Health promotion and illness prevention.

4. Elimination of hospital-acquired infections.

After being diagnosed with cancer the patient tells the population health nurse that the disease is punishment from God. Which theory of disease causation is this patient using to explain the illness?

1. Environment.

2. Physical forces.

3. Specific organism.

4. Divine intervention.

A patient diagnosed with a terminal illness asks why the disease developed when others who have less healthy lifestyle habits enjoy good health. Which theory of disease causation should the nurse use when responding to this patient’s enquiry?

1. Environment.

2. Divine intervention.

3. Single cause theory.

4. Multiple cause theory.

The population health nurse is visiting the home of a family whose youngest child developed chickenpox after being exposed to a classmate with the same disease. Of which criterion for establishing a causal relationship is this situation an example?

1. Frequency.

2. Consistency.

3. Absolute risk.

4. Susceptibility.

The population health nurse is trying to identify the causative relationship for a group of school students who developed viral meningitis. Which criterion must the nurse identify to prove causation for the development of the disease in these students?

1. Coherence.

2. Specificity.

3. Consistency.

4. Temporal relationship.

The population health nurse notes that the number of cases of diabetes in a community remained stable during the last year. However in January, ten new diagnoses of diabetes were confirmed. What type of data is the nurse analyzing?

1. Incidence.

2. Morbidity.

3. Prevalence.

4. Case fatality rate.

The population health nurse is compiling statistics about lung cancer in one neighborhood that has experienced an average of 15 years from diagnosis to death. Which concept of epidemiology is the nurse analyzing?

1. Mortality rate.

2. Survival time.

3. Morbidity rate.

4. Survival rate.

The population health nurse is explaining the epidemiologic triad to a group of nursing students. What should the nurse use as an example of this triad?

1. Sun, beach, and sunburn.

2. Rural Mississippi, deer, and Lyme disease.

3. Potato salad, outdoor picnic, and food poisoning.

4. Standing water, mosquitoes, and warm weather.

The population health nurse is planning to use a “web of causation” to explain the development of a health problem in a group of patients. What should the nurse use as an example of the web of causation?

1. Oil refinery, flare emissions, and asthma.

2. Mosquitoes, West Nile virus, and decreased mosquito spraying.

3. Adolescent pregnancy rate, lower socioeconomic status and education, and close friends with infants.

4. Access to alcohol, decreased enforcement of minors, and attractive media portrayal of alcohol that contributes to adolescent alcohol usage.

The population health nurse is identifying determinants of health to address the development of cancer in a small rural neighborhood. Which determinants should the nurse identify? (Select all that apply.)

1. Availability of health facilities.

2. Mean age of the male population.

3. Prevailing diet high in unprocessed foods and low fat.

4. High percentage of tobacco use among the male population.

5. Proximity of the community to chemical plants that have a poor history of regulating emissions.

An oil storage tank has leaked and the surrounding residential area has been saturated with the leaked oil. Which health precaution should the homeowner take?

1. Use a strong detergent to clean the yards.

2. Avoid planting vegetables in the contaminated soil.

3. Inform the local media regarding the contaminant spill.

4. Install smoke detectors in the home as a fire precaution.

A coal-fired energy plant is built next to a residential area. Since the plant opened the population health nurse notes an increase in respiratory diseases in individuals who live close to the plant. What should the nurse use to explain this phenomenon?

1. Urban sprawl.

2. Poor land use mix.

3. The built environment.

4. The community ecological footprint.

As part of a school district health program for students, the nurse visits students diagnosed with asthma at home. Which home environment factor should the nurse identify as contributing to the development of this respiratory disease?

1. Pesticides.

2. Peeling paint.

3. Secondhand smoke.

4. A fuel source for cooking.

The population health nurse learns of an area within the community that floods after heavy rains. Flooding has been a problem since development of this region over the last several years. What should the nurse realize as the most accurate explanation for the standing water?

1. The drainage system has not been inspected regularly.

2. There are insufficient storm sewers to handle the increased development.

3. There has been an overall change in the precipitation patterns in the region.

4. The development has increased the amount of impervious surfaces that do not absorb the rain water.

Due to budget cuts, a community has reduced its garbage pickup frequency from twice a week to once a week. Because of this the population health nurse should be concerned about the potential increase in:

1. Making the area look unsightly.

2. Animal pests that could spread disease.

3. The amount of trash generated per household.

4. Spreading weeds from uncollected grass clippings.

The population health nurse is working with city council members to identify environmental factors that negatively impact the health of community members. Which factors should the nurse call to the attention of the council members? (Select all that apply.)

1. Urban sprawl.

2. Gang violence.

3. Green space in communities.

4. Organized recreation programs.

5. Disparities in socioeconomic status.

1. Urban sprawl.

2. Gang violence.

3. Green space in communities.

4. Organized recreation programs.

5. Disparities in socioeconomic status.

The nurse is taking a class to become more culturally competent when providing care. In this class the nurse learns that the American work ethic is considered to be one that is hardworking and individualistic. The nurse should categorize the work ethic as being a part of:

1. Culture.

2. Ethnicity.

3. Nationality.

4. Acculturation.

Nursing students from various backgrounds enroll in a university’s nursing curriculum. The process by which they become nurses includes aspects of:

1. Culture.

2. Ethnicity.

3. Worldview.

4. Acculturation.

During a health history a patient states he is Asian American. What should the nurse realize this patient is describing?

1. Race.

2. Culture.

3. Ethnicity.

4. Nationality.

The population health nurse notes that the African American population of the United States has a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. What aspect of this population’s diet should the nurse relate to these health problems?

1. High in fat and sugars.

2. Low in processed foods and fat.

3. Low in fiber-rich foods and exercise.

4. High in starchy vegetables and sugars.

The nurse desires to improve cultural competence when providing patient care. What action should the nurse take first to develop this competency?

Understand the culture of the patient.
Identify the goals for culturally competent care.
Gain proficiency in another language beyond English.

4. Understand and recognize the nurse’s own cultural background

The population health nurse is reviewing information to include in a presentation on the economics of health care. Which statements should the nurse include in this presentation?
(Select all that apply.)

1. Health insurance guarantees a healthy workforce.

2. Educational level is associated with health outcomes.

3. Society benefits from an employed and healthy workforce.

4. Chronic illness in a stable workforce does not impact productivity.

5. Lost productivity from illness has minimal effect on societal outcomes.

1. Health insurance guarantees a healthy workforce.

2. Educational level is associated with health outcomes.

3. Society benefits from an employed and healthy workforce.

4. Chronic illness in a stable workforce does not impact productivity.

5. Lost productivity from illness has minimal effect on societal outcomes.

The population nurse becomes aware of an increase in social instability in one neighborhood. This instability can affect societal health because it can lead to:

1. Poverty.

2. Social conflict.

3. Developing alternative methods of health care.

4. Ill health that results from disruptive economic conditions.

The population health nurse attends a seminar on health care economics. What should the nurse realize as one of the biggest concerns influencing the economic health status of the United States?

1. Aging of citizens.

2. Declining birth rate.

3. Rise in asthma among children.

4. Rise of adolescent mental health problems.

The client is experiencing nasal congestion from a cold. The client self-administers an over-the-counter cold product to alleviate symptoms. The best description of the health care system the client is using is:

1. Complementary health care.

2. Scientific health care.

3. Personal health care.

4. Popular health care.

The client is being treated for chronic headache pain in a local clinic. In addition to the medical care the client is receiving, the client also visits an acupuncture clinic and states that both therapies help the headache pain. This type of health care subsystem the client is employing is:

1. Complementary.

2. Personal.

3. Popular.

4. Alternative.