UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

FACULTY OF MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

NURSING SCIENCE UNIT

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HONORS IN NURSING SCIENCE PART 111

Course Title: COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING (CHN) THEORY AND PRACTICE

(CODE NSC 306)

Course Outline:

Lecturer: Dr G. Mugadza

Course Description

The course uses a broad- based generalist approach to Community Health Nursing. Health
promotion and disease prevention in individuals, family, groups and community is explored
to reduce risk factors and life threats. Epidemiological concepts as well as biological,
psychological, sociological, environmental and political factors are considered in relation to
community health patterns and trends. The course scope fits well with the Faculty’s
mandate of health promotion. Planned change and program management are discussed
within the context of community systems and organizations. Furthermore, efforts are put to
stimulate learners’ thinking and innovative problem solving skills in order to sensitize
learners to the change process. Diversity in community Health Nursing role is examined
within the context of the country’ s health care delivery system levels in both rural and
urban health care services utilizing the community as the client. Emphasis is placed on
theory and practice with a focus on Primary Health Care and the Nursing Care Process
framework.

Purpose:

 To enhance the learners’ understanding of concepts of community as a client

including categories, functions and interactions of selected groups with special and
unique risks.
 To facilitate the learners’ understanding of the roles of this special cadre who is
expected to operate independently and be able to apply knowledge acquired to
become a change agent.

Aims:
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To facilitate the application of basic nursing skills and concepts within the background of
physical and social sciences to ensure learners acquire diverse knowledge in Medicine,
Nursing, Law, Psychology, Microbiology, Dentistry, Economics, Political sciences etc...

Course Objectives (Intended Learning Outcome) ILO

 Understand the application and utilization of nursing science and public

health sciences, epidemiological concepts in Community Health nursing
science.
 Integrate concepts of Primary Health Care, CHN practice and Nursing Care
Process into a framework for community health nursing practice.
 Understand the nature of community organization structures and application
of change process theories to promote positive health behaviours for the
individual, family, groups and community.
 Equip learners’ with problem- solving skills as well as application of
investigating techniques that can facilitate data gathering and analysis.
 Be conversant with the diversity of CHN role at various levels of health care
delivery system while interacting with individual, family, group and
community.
 Capacity to carry out community assessment, health promotion; health
education, disease and injury prevention and care interventions using a
multi-strategy and-multi target approach.
 Demonstrate ability to carry out a health promotion activity using the
Nursing care Process model after conducting a rigorous needs assessment of
the client after a proper risk analysis.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the application of quality assurance and
leadership/ management concepts in CHN for standards promotion.
 Able to demonstrate leadership ability, health advocacy and health service
marketing skills.
 Collaborate with other health disciplines in ensuring positive health
outcomes for individuals, families and population groups.
 Conduct community health assessment for community diagnosis
 Plan for implementation gaps identified from community assessment
 Demonstrate an understanding of the application of quality assurance and
leadership/ management concepts in CHN for standards promotion.
 Enhance competencies in the delivery of health education, health promotion
and safe environments in communities.
 Provide students with skills in health promotion and preventative services,
care and treatment within a community setting
 Set up a community well centre for families and population groups

 The graduate should demonstrate the following proficiencies:

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  Ability to conduct a health survey for population groups and to plan for
interventions

 Ability to support individuals, families, groups and communities on identify risks

to health and plan for preventive health measures.

 Collaborate with government and non-governmental organizations in ensuring

quality health care service delivery in the community

 Ability to assess the impact of the broad social, cultural, political and economic
determinants of health in a community and take action.

 Perform monitoring and evaluation for community health care services

 Ability to assess the impact of a range of appropriate community health

interventions

Educational Support: The course faculty is available to meet to discuss requests for
academic requirements for the student with disabilities through the Dean’s office after
registration.
Academic Integrity: All students are expected to maintain academic integrity, including the
avoidance of cheating and plagiarism. Students are required to adhere to all academic
integrity policies as published in the University Handbook. Violations of academic integrity
will be addressed by course faculty in accordance with the policies on academic integrity.
Course Content
The course content is composed of 6 core topics and 2 clinical attachment assignments.
UNIT TOPICS
1. Theoretical Basis of Community Health Nursing
a) Characteristics of CHN Practice
b) Theoretical and models of CHN
c) Principles of Public Health/Primary Health Care/ The Ouagadougou Declaration
on Primary Health Care and Health Systems in Africa.
d) Societal influences on Community oriented population- focused approach on the
most vulnerable groups.
(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)
2. Community as a client: Applying the Nursing Care Process
a) What is a healthy community?
b) Dimension of community as client.
c) Nursing Process characteristics applied to community as a client.
d) Community assessment methods.
e) Data gathering and Analysis.

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 f) Implementing plans for promoting the health of the community.
g) Evaluating implemented community health plans.

(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)

3. Theoretical Basis for Promotion of Family Health:

a) Universal characteristic of families.
b) Attributes of families as social systems.
c) Family boundaries, cultures, structures.
d) Traditional and non-traditional or contemporary families.
e) Implications for the community health nurse.

(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)

4. Health Promotion Strategies for individual, Families, Groups and Communities:

a) Principles of ethics applied to CHN practice
b) Program management 1) Planning 11) Intervention 111) Evaluation

(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)

5. Health Promotion: Achieving Change through Education

a) Health Promotion through change
b) The nature of change
c) Change through health education
d) Learning the change theories

(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)

6 a) Diversity of Community Health Nursing Role within health care settings

6.1 Role clarification and Dependent and independent functions:

a) Clinician
b) Collaborator
c) Educator
d) Leader
e) manager
f) Advocate

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 g) Researcher
6b) Application of leadership and Quality Assurance in CHN
(Lecture notes/ Discussion, case scenarios, skills stations, quiz, OSCE, Portfolios, clinical
attachments)

6.c) Application of Research in CHN

(Lecture/discussions) students will also do a short research proposal on topics of
interest 3 weeks assignment as a mid-term continuous assessment).
Final course Grade will be based on:
Continuous Assessment
One mid- term written test 50 marks
Students will do a 5 weeks rural field attachment to enhance their program management
skills this will be carried out during the second semester of year three. 50 marks

Activities:
A community needs assessment (diagnosis) using the Rapid Data Collection Tool
and the Life span model to gather information on an identified community health
problem this carries 100 marks
Do a health intervention project to solve the identified health problem. 50 marks
Continuous Assessment grading 25%
Final Examination 2 hours written test grading 75%
Total 100%

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References
1. Clark, J. Henderson, J. (1993): Community Health. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh
2. Edelman, C. Mandle, C.L. (2007): Health Promotion: C.V. Mosby Company St. Loius U.S.A
3. MuCusker, J. (1992) Epidemiology in Community Health: A self teaching Manual African
Medical and Research Foundation.
4. Owen G. M. (2007): Community Health Nursing. Churchill Livingstone U. K.
5. Spraddley, BW. And Allender, JA. (1997): Readings in Community Health Nursing 5th
edition Lippincott, Philadelphia
5. Sauidou, PB. (2008): The Ouagadougou Declaration on Primary Health Care and Health
Systems in Africa: Achieving Better Health for Africa in the New Millennium International
Conference on Primary health care and Health Systems in Africa. Ouagadougaou, Burkina
Faso.
6. Stanhorpe, M Lancaster, J. (2007): Community Health Nursing: Process and Practice for
Promoting Health The Mosby Company St. Louis U.S.A.
7. Stanhorpe, M. And Lancaster, J. (2012): Public health nursing: Population –centered
health care in community. (8th ed) Elsevier ISBN: 978323080019
8. Valanis B. (1999): Epidemiology in Health Care. Appleton and Lance Stanford Connecticut
9. World Health Organization (2013): Global Health Observatory Zimbabwe country data
statistics. http://www.who.int/gho/countries/zwe
10. Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (2009 -2012): The Strategic Health Plan.
Harare, Zimbabwe