This activity provides students with the resources and methods to conduct a community assessment. Performing a community assessment involves getting to know and understand the community as client.

Phase One – Defining the Community

Who is the community assessed? A clear definition must be provided of who is being assessed and where they are located.

Phase Two – Community Assessment

Phase two is the focus of this activity.

The goal of assessment is to gather and generate data and then analyze and synthesize the data to identify significant themes or trends.

A. Data gathering involves compiling information that already exists.

B. During data generation, information that does not already exist is collected from the community.

C. Data analysis and synthesis should result in discovery of community health problems and community health strengths.

Assignment Files

Presentation Rubric

Instructions

1. Presentation (10 points)

1. Colorful, clear and concise, free from errors

2. Completely computer generated (with appropriate resources cited)

3. Diagrams and other pertinent information that describes the health education you are promoting

2. Description of the community (15 points)

3. Community resources (10 points)

. Identified and analyzed

. How will the resources support the intervention of your nursing diagnosis?

· Priority diagnosis, the goal for change, and rationale (15 points)

· A realistic solution to your nursing diagnosis in a teaching manner (evidenced-based practice) (20 points)

· Describe the health education you will promote which follows from your nursing diagnosis (20 points)

· Describe the role of the nurse and other community members in the interventions (10 points)

NM352 Unit 8 Week 15 – Public Health Presentation Rubric

NM352 Unit 8 Week 15 – Public Health Presentation Rubric

Criteria

Ratings

Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCommunity Description

15 pts

Level 5

Student had in-depth knowledge of the content. Clearly able to explain topic and relevance to the community. Fully prepared to answer all questions.

13.5 pts

Level 4

Elements of both Level 5 and Level 3.

12 pts

Level 3

Moderate knowledge of content area. Able to explain relevance to community. Able to answer some questions.

10.5 pts

Level 2

Elements of both Level 3 and Level 1.

9 pts

Level 1

Minimal knowledge of content. Difficulty identifying relevance to the community. Able to answer a few questions.

0 pts

Level 0

The student did not submit a presentation.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCommunity Resources

Community resources identified, analyzed, and support the intervention

10 pts

Level 5

Community resources clearly identified and analyzed and how they will support the intervention of your nursing diagnosis

9 pts

Level 4

The student fulfills most of the assignment expectations.

8 pts

Level 3

The student fulfills some of the assignment expectations.

7 pts

Level 2

Paper Work

Instructions

1. Paper format (20 points)

· 3-5 pages (not including title and reference page) typed (12 Times Roman/Arial Font) in APA format

· Title page and reference page

· No spelling or grammatical errors

· Paper outline similar to this:

· Introduction

· Community resources

· Priority diagnoses, the goal and reason for the change

· Realistic solution

· Health education

· Role of the nurse and community in the intervention

· Conclusion

2. Community resources (15 points)

2. Identified and analyzed

2. How will the resources support the intervention of your nursing diagnosis?

1. Priority diagnosis, the goal for change, and rationale (15 points)

1. Develop a realistic solution to your nursing diagnosis in a teaching manner (evidenced-based practice) (20 points)

1. Describe the health education you will promote which follows from your nursing diagnosis (20 points)

1. Describe the role of the nurse and other community members in the interventions (10 points)

NM352 Unit 8 Week 15 – Public Health Paper Rubric

NM352 Unit 8 Week 15 – Public Health Paper Rubric

Criteria

Ratings

Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCommunity Resources

Community resources identified, analyzed, and support the intervention

15 pts

Level 5

Community resources clearly identified and analyzed and how they will support the intervention of your nursing diagnosis

13.5 pts

Level 4

The student fulfills most of the assignment expectations.

12 pts

Level 3

The student fulfills some of the assignment expectations.

10.5 pts

Level 2

The student partially fulfills the assignment expectations.

9 pts

Level 1

The student does not fulfill assignment expectations.

0 pts

Level 0

The student did not submit a paper.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeNursing Diagnosis

Identify priority diagnosis, the goal for change, and rationale

15 pts

Level 5

Clearly identifies priority diagnosis, the goal for change, and rationale

13.5 pts

Level 4

The student fulfills most of the assignment expectations.

12 pts

Writing a Nursing Diagnosis for Public Health

1. Identify the Health Problem
a. What is the health problem? (This is a synthesis of your community health assessment.)

2. Identify the Community
a. Who is affected or at risk?

3. Identify the Cause
a. Why do they have the health problem?
b. What characteristics of the community or environment are causing or related to health

risk?
i. These could be motivation, knowledge, skill of community, or physical, cultural,

psychosocial, and political characteristics.

Use the information from the above three steps to write the nursing diagnosis:

1. Risk of __________ (What?)
2. Among___________ (Who?)
3. Related to __________ (Why?)

Examples
Example 1

1. Risk of infant malnutrition
2. Among families in Bernalillo County
3. Related to lack of regular developmental screening, lack of outreach to new families, and

confusion among families on WIC enrollment.

Example 2

1. Risk of diabetes
2. Among children in Ramsey County
3. Related to childhood obesity

Practice
Practice 1

Currently, 25% of the population in Duxbury County is older than 65 years. However, in 25 years, this
percentage is expected to increase to more than 50%. Currently, five primary care providers are
practicing in the county, and service waiting lists range from 1 to 3 weeks; only one of these providers
specializes in geriatric care. A single, 54-bed, long-term nursing care facility is located in the northern
region of the spacious county. Because of the rural roads, no public transit system is in place. However,
residents can call a hospital shuttle if they need to arrange transportation to a doctor’s appointment.

1. Risk of __________________________________
2. Among __________________________________
3. Related to _______________________________

Practice 2

Sunshine County has had a 42% increase in childhood asthma over the last 5 years. Seven years ago, an
oil refinery opened in the community. Jobs were created and the economy is improving.

1. Risk of __________________________________
2. Among __________________________________
3. Related to _______________________________

Practice 3

The City of Starkville has had a steady decline in the number of children immunized. In the preceding
year, there three outbreaks in the city of measles. The number of cases was up 72% from the previous
year.

1. Risk of __________________________________
2. Among __________________________________
3. Related to _______________________________

Practice Answers
Practice 1

Risk of lack of access to health care among aging baby boomers in Duxbury County related to
inadequate numbers of health care providers and lack of public transportation s

Conducting a Community Health Assessment
Phase One – Defining the Community
One population that can be used for a community assessment is a geriatric aggregate. Geriatric
populations can be found in several different places in a community, including volunteer organizations,
senior citizen centers, community activity centers, and nursing homes.

The following criteria must be clearly delineated before starting phase two of a community health
assessment:

• Who is the specific population being assessed?
• What is the role of this population within the community?
• Does this community exist within a certain neighborhood?

o Are there geographic boundaries that separate this group from others?
• Is the community limited to a specific setting?
• Where is this group located?
• Why is a community assessment being performed?

o What purpose will it serve?
• When will the community assessment be conducted?

o Are there time limitations for completing the assessment?
• How will information for the community assessment be collected?

o What resources are available to fund the community assessment?

Phase Two – Community Assessment
After defining the community, the next phase is assessment. Some resources and methods are
described here and in the other project documents. These items serve as a starting point. Other
resources and methods may be used when a community assessment is conducted. Using a variety of
methods is helpful when one is trying to discover the needs of a community. Monetary resources and
time frame for completion may influence which methods are used.

A. Data Gathering – Collecting information that already exists
When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons
can be made.

If the population being assessed is located within a specific setting, it may be best to contact that agency
to retrieve specific information about that population.

After data are collected from various sources, it is important to review the information and to identify
assets and areas of needed improvement in the community by comparing local data (if available) with
state and national data. This facilitates organization of the information that has already been obtained
and provides direction for the next step of the process.

B. Data Generation – Developing data that do not already exist
There are several ways to generate data:

• Windshield Surveys
• Participant Observation
• Informant Interviews
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Secondary Analysis of Already Existing Documents

A description of each of these examples is in the document “Generating Data for a Community Health
Assessment.”

C. Data Interpretation
After the data have been collected, it is important to analyze the information to identify any