health issue

Prepare a 3–4 page report on a critical health issue in a community or  state. Describe the factors that contribute to the health issue and  interventions that have been implemented. Explain the scope and role of  nursing in the interventions, and recommend ways the scope of the  interventions might be expanded.

Community/public health nursing is nursing care that is  population-focused and occurs in non-hospital settings. Numerous nursing  theories can provide the structure for community/public health nursing;  however, nursing theories that incorporate components of the general  systems theory frequently provide the framework for the practice of  community/public health nursing.

Historically, nurses have made significant contributions to the  field of public health. From providing maternal-child care to poor women  in the late 1800s, to promoting hygiene among school aged children in  the early 1900s, to providing environmental and safety care to  industrial workers during World War I, nurses have been instrumental in  shaping health policies (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Today,  community/public health nurses have a key role in identifying and  developing plans of care to address local, national, and international  health issues.

Many factors influence the health of communities and populations, including national policies that focus on health promotion. Healthy People,  a major national health promotion program issued by the U.S. Surgeon  General, identifies major health problems of the nation and sets  national goals and objectives targeting health promotion (Maurer &  Smith, 2013). If adopted, activities that target health promotion can  result in disease prevention.

Preparation

Suppose your organization is concerned about a number of health  issues that have either affected an increased number of the residents in  the community or show the probability of affecting a larger number of  people in the population. Your organizational leaders have asked  different health care professionals within the organization, including  you, to examine the issues from your perspective, and to submit a report  that includes evidence-based ways to address the issues.

You will first need to identify a critical health care issue in your community or state. You may choose either a public health issue, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), measles, Lyme disease, asthma, et cetera; or a community health issue, such as uncontrolled diabetes, congestive heart disease, 30-day readmission, et cetera.

Then, look in the Capella library and on the Internet for  statistics and peer-reviewed or professional resources to use in  preparing your report.

Requirements

Format this assessment as a professional report. It may help to  look at reports or other documents used within your organization and to  follow that formatting. You must still follow APA guidelines for in-text  citations and references, and include a title page and reference page.

Within the report:

• Describe one critical health issue in your community or state  that has grown larger or has the potential to become larger. Be sure to  include any statistics available on the health issue. Tip: check your county and/or state health department Web site.
• Explain the factors that contribute to this health issue.  Consider things such as access to health care services, economics,  culture, attitude, education, health care policies, and so on.
• Describe any interventions your community or state has put in  place to address the health care issue. Include information on how long  the interventions have been in place, how the community was made aware  of the interventions, and so on.
• Describe the scope and role of nursing and public health nursing in the interventions to reduce the health issue.
• Recommend evidence-based ways the scope of the interventions  could be expanded to increase positive health outcomes. Think in terms  of cost, efficiency and access, effectiveness, and the use of both  conventional and unconventional interventions.

Additional Requirements

Complete your assessment using the following specifications:

• Title page and reference page.
• Number of pages: 3–4 (not  including the title and reference pages).
• At least 3 current scholarly or professional resources.
• APA format for citations and references.
• Times New Roman font, 12-point, double-spaced.