Community Health

What are definitions of a community? A community is a collection of people who share some attribute of their lives. It may be that they live in the same locale, attend a particular church, or even share a particular interest, such as skiing. Groups that constitute a community because of common     

How Much Public Health in Public Health Nursing Practice?

Public health nursing (PHN) practice is defined by an emphasis on population health issues rather than individually focused clinical interventions, but the actual scope and focus of PHN practice have not been well documented. The purpose of this survey was to investigate the practice activities, priorities, and education of public health nurses in California. Public health nurses in five counties were surveyed about interventions targeted at individual-family, community, and system levels. Summary scales (range: 1-4) were created to measure self-rated PHN activity, importance, and education at each level. Staff were most likely to perform individual-family level interventions (mean score, m=2.55), followed by community (m=1.86) and system-level interventions (m=1.46). Managers rated individual-family level interventions as most important (m=2.91) and community-level interventions (m=2.42) as more important than those at the system level (m=1.99). Individually focused case management was the most frequently performed and highly valued intervention. Staff and manager-directors deemed individual-family interventions as the area in which public health nurses were best educated, followed by community and then system interventions. Results indicate that the population health focus of public health nursing is not reflected in the practice activities, management priorities, or educational preparation of public health nurses.     

Carestream Health公司开始全球运营

Carestream Health公司作为一家拥有8100多位员工并为全球150个国家的数万客户提供服务的公司，5月1日起开始正式独立运营。同日，该公司在中国成立的锐珂（上海）医疗器材有限公司和锐珂（厦门）医疗器材有限公司也正式开始运营。     

What Is the Impact of Targeted Health Education for Mental Health Nurses in the Provision of Physical Health Care? An Integrated Literature Review

Individuals with a severe mental illness have a gap in life expectancy of up to 20 years in comparison to the general population. Nurses who work in mental health services have been identified as best placed to improve the physical health outcomes of individuals with mental illness. The literature identifies a lack of nursing knowledge related to physical health care and the presence of metabolic syndrome which is impeding nurses in providing essential physical health care to patients. An integrated literature review was carried out due to the dearth of research evidence pertaining to the impact of targeted education specifically with psychiatric/mental health nurses in the provision of physical healthcare. A search for literature included the following databases: CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, Embase and Web of Science revealed nine studies: seven quantitative, one qualitative and one mixed method. Qualitative synthesis has shed light on the value of targeted education on improving knowledge and skills in providing physical health care that can then be translated into clinical practice. Targeted education in physical healthcare grows psychiatric/mental health nurse's confidence and develops the skills necessary to enable them to screen and monitor and offer range of physical health interventions to individuals with severe mental illness.

Accessible summary ? The poor physical health outcomes and premature death of individuals with severe mental illness is of growing concern; a contributing factor is a lack of knowledge and confidence amongst psychiatric/mental health nurses to providing physical health screening and intervening in preventable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

? An integrated literature review was used to ascertain if targeted education on physical health care can improve the knowledge base of psychiatric/mental health nurses within physical health care.

? Nine studies were critically appraised, and the data reduced using a narrative synthesis that tells a story of the findings from these research studies.

? The review found that targeted education with psychiatric/mental health nurses does result in a statistical increase in knowledge This review finds that nurses have not been regularly supported with physical health education to alter existing practices. This lack of knowledge within physical healthcare is hindering psychiatric/mental health nurses to fully engaging in physical health care activities in practice.

     

Does Dixon's Integrative Environmental Health Model Inform an Understanding of Rural Parents' Perceptions of Local Environmental Health Risks?

A qualitative study of parents' perceptions of local environmental health risks was conducted to assess the fit between concepts from Dixon's Integrative Environmental Health Model (DIEH model) and field-generated data. This research was part of a prospective study addressing environmental exposures of rural low-income children. Home visit data from 11 parents were analyzed (1) thematically and (2) according to DIEH concepts. These complementary analyses allowed the researchers to examine perceptions that were congruent with or diverged from the DIEH model. Findings revealed that participants were concerned about children's exposure to pathogenic molds and cigarette smoke and felt uninformed about risks and prevention strategies. Barriers to preventive actions included families' lack of time and a disinterest in brochures. Participants reported being "stuck" in substandard housing by poverty and family demands. They expressed concern about risks, but were unsure "what to worry about." Results provided the researchers with confidence that the DIEH model aligned with participants' cognitive constructions of risk. As a result, the DIEH model was incorporated into the conceptualization for the clinical trial phase of the study. This type of check between a theoretical approach and field data can be a helpful intermediate step for researchers involved in multiyear studies.