ATI Chapter 3

Question 1

what to consider when determining the health of a community?

Answer 1

• status: epidemiological data, client satisfaction, mental health, crime rates
• structure: presence of health care facilities, servce types and patterns of use, demographic data
• process: relationships, communication, commitment and participation in health

Question 2

important factors to think about when assessing the “people” component of the community

Answer 2

• demographic: distribution, mobility, density, census data
• biological factors: health and dz status, genetics, race, age, gender, causes of death
• social factors: occupation, activities, marital status, education, income, crime rates, recreation, industry

Question 3

important factors to consider when assessing the “place/environment” component of the community

Answer 3

• physical factors: geography, terrain, type of community, location of health services, housing, animal control
• environmental factors: geography, climate, flora, fauna, topography, toxic substances, pollutants

Question 4

how to assess data about a community

Answer 4

• informant interviews
• community forum
• secondary data
• participant observation
• focus groups
• surveys
• windshield survey

Question 5

informant interviews

Answer 5

• direct discussion w/ community members for purpose of obtaining ideas/opinions from key informants
• strengths:
  
  • minimal cost
  • participants serving as future supporters
  • offers insight into beliefs and attitudes of community members
  • reading/writing of participants not required
• limitations:
  
  • built in bias
  • meeting time/place

Question 6

community forum

Answer 6

• open public meeting
• strengths:
  
  • opportunity for community input
  • minimal cost
• limits:
  
  • difficulty finding convenient time/place
  • potential to drift from issue
  • challenging to get adequate participation

Question 7

secondary data

Answer 7

• use of existing data (records) to assess problem
• must evaluate reliability of the sources
• strengths:
  
  • database of prior concerns/needs of population
  • ability to trend issues over time
• limits:
  
  • data may not represent current situation
  • time consuming

Question 8

participant observation

Answer 8

• observation of formal or informal community activities
• strengths:
  
  • indication of community priorities or environmental profile
• limits:
  
  • bias
  • time consuming
  • inability to ask questions of participants

Question 9

focus groups

Answer 9

• directed talk with representative sample
• strengths:
  
  • possibility of participants being supporters
  • provides insight into community support
  • reading/writing of participants not required
• limits:
  
  • discussion of irrelevant issues
  • challenging to get participants
  • requires strong facilitator
  • difficult to ensure sample represents whole community
  • time consuming

Question 10

surveys

Answer 10

• specific questions in written format
• strengths:
  
  • data collected on population and problems
  • random sampling
  • available online/written
  • contact w/ participants not required
• limits:
  
  • low response rate
  • expensive
  • time consuming
  • requires reading/writing of participants

Question 11

windshield survey

Answer 11

• descriptive approach that assesses community components by driving thru a community
• strengths:
  
  • provides descriptive overview of community
• limits:
  
  • need for a driver so nurse can visualize and document community elements
  • can be time consuming
  • results based only on visualization
• survey components:
  
  • people
  • place
  • housing
  • social systems

Question 12

community health dx

Answer 12

• risk of ____: specific problem or risk in community
• among ____: specific population affected by problem
• related to ____: strengths and weaknesses in the community that influence the problem or risk