Assignment Task
Topic
Imagine you are a community health nurse working to support Western Australians with the focus on People living with disability ( Only from Western Australia context can focus on south west people with disability, regional area).
Introduction
An introduction to your topic in providing an overview of the community nurse context and the target population in which they serve (including age range if applicable)
Include a statement that outlines the structure and purpose of the paper
Highlights the main issues that the essay will address
Explain key terms e.g., the term Aboriginal is used as inclusive of Torres Strait Islander peoples
Health Assessment in Community Nursing and Midwifery
Provide a statement on the context of the nurse/ midwife’s role- e.g., community mental health, occupational health nurse etc and outline the importance of conducting a health needs assessment in community nursing and midwifery.
Describe the characteristics of the chosen target population (population size, age distribution, gender, ethnicity, culture, languages, income, employment, education level etc)
Determinants of health
Outline what factors are affecting the health of the community by discuss two determinants of health that relate to the chosen target population,
This will demonstrate ‘why’ your population is at risk of experiencing the health issues that it does from a socio-ecological/ environmental health perspective.
Health issues
Outline and discuss two health issues that are common to your chosen target population. i.e., high prevalence of chronic disease, increased rates of infectious diseases or neurological childhood conditions. It is not necessary to discuss the pathology or signs and symptoms of the illness/ disease.
Use epidemiological data to describe the significance of the health issues. If possible, also include comparative data to provide context and meaning. E.g., young children have a high incidence of communicable disease when compared to the adult population.
If no published data is available for your unique target population in the community, you are welcome to use published wider population data (generalised mainstream data) and apply to your context.
