HS 71- COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSINGDefinitions:
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Community – a body of people living in a certain area and having common rights,responsibilities and interests.
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Health – is defined as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, notmerely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO.)”
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Nursing – is primarily assisting the individual (sick or well) in the performance of thoseactivities contributing to health or its recovery (to a peaceful death) that he would performunaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge.–It is likewise the unique combination of nursing to help the individual to beindependent of such assistance as soon as possible (Virginia Henderson, 1958.)
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Community Health Nursing – refers to a “service rendered by a professional nurse withcommunities, groups, families, individuals at home, in health centers, in clinics, in schools,in places of work for the PROMOTION of HEALTH, PREVENTION of ILLNESS, CARE of the sickat home and REHABILITATION.” (Ruth B. Freeman, one of the famous definitions of CHN)
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Community Health Nursing – is broader than public health nursing because itencompasses ‘nursing practice in a wide variety of community services and consumeradvocate areas, and in a variety of roles, at times including independent practice…community nursing is certainly not confined to public health nursing agencies. (Jacobson,1975: 6)
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Public Health – the classic definition of public health comes from Dr. C. E. Winslow. Hedefines public health as the ‘science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life,promoting health and efficiency through organized community effort for the sanitation of the environment, control of communicable diseases, the education of individuals inpersonal hygiene, the organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosisand preventive treatment of disease, and the development of the social machinery toensure everyone a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health, soorganizing these benefits as to enable every citizen to realize his birthright of health andlongevity.
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Public Health – is defined by WHO as the ‘art of applying science in the context of politicsso as to reduce inequalities in health while ensuring the best health for the greatestnumber.’
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Public Health Nursing – refers to the practice of nursing in local/national healthdepartments (which includes health centers and rural health units) and schools. It is acommunity health nursing practiced in the public sector.
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Public Health Nursing – The WHO Expert Committee of Nursing defined PHN as a ‘specialfield of nursing that combines the skills of nursing, public health and some phases of socialassistance and functions as part of the total public health programme for the promotion of health, the improvement of the conditions in the social and physical environment,rehabilitation of illness and disability.’
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Public Health Nursing was coined by LILIAN WALD when she was director of the HenryStreet Settlement in New York City to denote a service that was available to all people.However, as federal, state and local governments increased their involvement in thedelivery of health services, the term public health nursing became associated with ‘public’or government agencies and in turn with the care of the poor people.’
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Public Health Nurses – refer to the nurses in the local/national health departments orpublic schools whether their official position title is Public Health Nurse or Nurse or SchoolNurse.
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Nursing Service – is a separate and distinct unit of the local health agency/ unit which iscomposed of nurses, midwives and auxiliaries such as barangay health workers, nursingaides and volunteers.
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The Central Focus of Nursing – is care provided to the people.- is man in his entirety.- is on man, sick or well, of any age, race or creed and at anysetting.
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