Deck 12: Community Assessment and Evaluation

Question 1

A community health nurse is beginning to work with a newly assigned community. Which of the following would be appropriate actions for the nurse to take to help ensure acceptance? (Select all that apply.)

A)Asking those with whom the nurse interacts in the course of daily living their perception of the community (e.g., clerks in grocery stores or pharmacies)
B)Attending community events such as festivals or fairs and interacting with participants
C)Becoming involved in and contributing to volunteer community organizations
D)Completing a comprehensive physical assessment on nearby neighbors

Answer 1

Asking those with whom the nurse interacts in the course of daily living their perception of the community (e.g., clerks in grocery stores or pharmacies)
Attending community events such as festivals or fairs and interacting with participants

Question 2

Which of the following is the best brief definition of community?

A)A geographic area or political division under common leadership
B)A group sharing a common bond such as a profession or occupation
C)A group working together to confront a common problem
D)A social group with common goals within a geographic area

Answer 2

A social group with common goals within a geographic area

Question 3

A community health nurse drives through her assigned community before visiting the community groups scheduled for the day. She then drives through the community again that evening before going home. Which of the following best describes the nurse's reason for driving through the community twice in the same day?

A)On the second trip, the nurse can carefully confirm the results of the first assessment.
B)Repeating the experience ensures that the nurse absorbed all the relevant details.
C)Driving through twice allows the nurse to see the community when many residents are at work or at school and then again when most are at home.
D)When leaving in the evening, the nurse has more time to write down the results of the earlier assessment.

Answer 3

Driving through twice allows the nurse to see the community when many residents are at work or at school and then again when most are at home.

Question 4

A nurse wants to determine whether health problems have been improved and interventions have been appropriate and successful over a period of time. Which of the following data should the nurse examine? (Select all that apply.)

A)Changes in staffing patterns and assignments in the health agency
B)Demographic data
C)Education and school statistics
D)Environmental factors

Question 5

A nurse is focusing on the process dimension of a community's health. Which of the following interventions will the nurse most likely implement?

A)Assessing the health care services available in a community
B)Establishing screening programs to diagnosis diseases as early as possible so treatment can begin
C)Implementing health promotion activities such as education programs
D)Planning for new programs to be developed based on identified needs

Question 6

During the assessment phase, the nurse compiles and interprets available data and draws conclusions as to the community's strengths and concerns. Which of the following best describes why the nurse would also conduct interviews with key informants?

A)To ensure that others agree with the nurse's plans for interventions
B)To confirm the nurse's initial findings and conclusions
C)To encourage community partners to feel they "own" the data
D)To generate nonstatistical data such as values, beliefs, and perceived needs

Question 7

A nurse is assessing a community's openness to change. Which of the following variables indicate that the community is ready?

A)Commitment to current processes and policies
B)High social-economic status in the community as a whole
C)Long history of dependence on the community health agency and its staff
D)Minimal level of social participation by community members

Question 8

A new nurse is overwhelmed with the needs of the community. Which of the following should be the first priority of the nurse?

A)A problem that affects the most disadvantaged residents in the community
B)A problem that is very easy and inexpensive to address
C)A problem that is of high concern to the community
D)A problem in an area in which the nurse has a great deal of expertise

Question 9

Persons often point out that smokers choose to light their cigarettes, alcoholics lift the glass to their mouth, and drug addicts inject or ingest their drugs. Which of the following statements best describes why nurses don't simply focus on helping persons who engage in poor health behaviors to behave appropriately?

A)Addicts don't have the willpower to change their behavior.
B)It is too rewarding to continue the behavior for a person to be able to change.
C)Laws and policies must reward good healthy behaviors and punish unhealthy behaviors to help individuals recognize the importance of change.
D)Society must offer healthy choices, offer support, and practice helpful policies.

Question 10

During which of the following activities is the nurse in community health acting as a partner in change?

A)Administering vaccinations to preschoolers
B)Analyzing community problems to determine the best interventions
C)Establishing an elder-care center for older adults living with family members who work
D)Teaching anger management skills to a group of teens in a halfway house

Question 11

Which of the following objectives is most appropriate for the development of a community-oriented nursing care plan?

A)All monitored patients will receive abortive therapy for lethal dysrhythmias within 3 minutes of dysrhythmia recognition.
B)Of mothers receiving nutrition counseling, 80% will identify five sources of calcium by the end of class.
C)95% of children will be immunized by 1 year of age.
D)There will be a 25% reduction in health disparities by 2015.

Question 12

A nurse has invited community members to participate as full partners in creating changes to improve the health of the community. Which of the following may be an unexpected consequence of this action?

A)A change in the distribution or redistribution of power and influence
B)An increase in awareness of the importance of health
C)Continued ongoing interest in community health activities
D)Improved family functioning and involvement in health activities

Question 13

A nurse is working toward an objective to "Increase to at least 90% the proportion of all pregnant women who receive first trimester prenatal care." During which of the following phases of the nursing process would determination of the objective occur?

A)Assessment phase
B)Planning phase
C)Implementation phase
D)Evaluation phase

Question 14

A nurse is assessing the status of a community's health. Which of the following will the nurse examine?

A)Community awareness
B)Health facilities
C)Health care manpower
D)Vital statistics

Question 15

A nurse just accepted a position in community health and has been assigned to a neighborhood very close to where she lives. Which of the following best describes the rationale for this assignment?

A)To allow participant observation by the nurse
B)To ensure that the nurse would care about her intervention outcomes
C)To maximize convenience and minimize commuting time for the nurse
D)To save gasoline in these difficult economic times

Question 16

A nurse is practicing in the community but also has the community as the target of practice. Which of the following best describes the activities of this nurse?

A)Providing care to an active caseload of 50 families in the neighborhood
B)Inviting all the parents of asthmatic children in the school to meet together for mutual support
C)Sharing assessment findings and health goals with every community group that will listen
D)Writing articles for the local newspaper highlighting the various programs and services of the local health department

Question 17

A community health nurse encourages members of the community to partner and assist in creating health programs. Which of the following best describes the rationale for this action? (Select all that apply.)

A)Partnering results in increased effectiveness
B)Involving community members results in contributions of time and money into the program
C)Having many partners results in increased publicity for the program
D)Participating in planning results in having a vested interest in the outcome

Question 18

A nurse is assessing the structure of a community's health. Which of the following data will the nurse examine?

A)Health facilities and their staffing patterns
B)Health risk profiles of selected aggregates
C)Statistics of morbidity and mortality in comparison with similar communities
D)Treatment and service use patterns from local health agencies and care providers

Question 19

Before beginning to survey the community to assess its health needs and strengths, the nurse reviews various documents, including local statistical data and the minutes of the previous meeting of the health care agency. Which of the following best explains why the nurse would start with this activity?

A)To avoid confronting the community until the nurse is thoroughly oriented
B)To become familiar with previous goals and priorities of the agency
C)To help get a better understanding of the assigned community
D)To save time and effort and perhaps have new insights

Question 20

A nurse is deciding which alternative interventions should be implemented. Which of the following factors must be considered by the nurse when making this decision? (Select all that apply.)

A)The expected effect or outcome of each possible intervention
B)How interested others are in helping in any particular intervention
C)The nurse's own interest in implementing each intervention
D)The likelihood that the intervention will resolve the problem

Question 21

A community health nurse has been recently hired to work in an unfamiliar community. Which of the following persons would be effective key informants for the nurse? (Select all that apply.)

A)Community's immigrant group activist
B)Federal senators and representatives
C)Health board members
D)Local politicians such as the town mayor

Question 22

Which of the following activities are considered to be part of the core competencies for public health professionals? (Select all that apply.)

A)Defining variables relevant to current public health problems
B)Obtaining and interpreting information regarding risks and benefits to the community
C)Implementing nursing care and subsequent evaluation outcomes
D)Maintaining public health departments throughout the United States