Community health nursing is concerned with the health of the population and communities. It meets with the collective needs of the community and society. Community health nursing identifies the problems of the community, supports community participation, preserves health, and improves health.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) in 1982 defines Public health nursing as the one who synthesizes the body of knowledge from the public health sciences and professional nursing theories for the purpose of improving the health of the entire community. American Nursing Association (ANA) defines Community health nursing as a synthesis of nursing and public health practice applied to promoting and preserving the health of the people.
Population is a statistical aggregate or subgroup of people with similar or identical characteristics. Community is a group of people sharing common interest, needs, resources, and environment.
The primary focus of Community Health Nursing is health promotion and its primary responsibility is health teaching. The family is the unit of service in community health nursing. Community health service’s ultimate goal is to raise the level of health in the community. Community health nurses are generalists in their practice. Community health nursing uses available community resources and existing active organized groups in the community.
Community health nursing is based on the recognized needs of the community, family, population group, and individuals. The key characteristics of community health nursing are:
- Caring relationships and partnerships with families and communities.
- People are seen as essential participants in the process of promoting health and preventing illness.
- Participant and facilitator rather than just a dispenser of medications or information.
- Focus on empowerment of families and communities. Allows the communities and families acquire skills and knowledge so that they can participate in decision making about their health.
- Focus on the populations and sub-populations.
- Mutual respect and cooperation from both the giver and the receiver of care to help empower the people.
