Community Health Nursing Theories

- Nightingale's Theory of Environment

- Health Belief Model

- Likelihood of Taking Action Factors - *Nightingale's Theory of Environment*: Focuses

on impact of a person's environment on their health. Focus in on preventative care

(washing hands, clean environment).

*Health Belief Model*: Assumes a persons primary motivation in taking positive health

actions is to avoid getting a disease.

*Likelihood of taking action is based on*:

1. Modifying variables (age, gender, race, economy, education)

2. Perceived severity and susceptibility of getting the disease

3. Perceived benefits vs. barriers of taking action

4. Cues to action (i.e. advice of doctor, media campaign)

Community-Based Nursing versus Community-Oriented Nursing - The community or

population is the "client" in community health nursing.

*Community-Based Nursing*: Focused on ILLNESS care (acute or chronic conditions)

for individuals and families.

- Examples: Home Health nurse doing wound care, School nurse administering epi-pen.

*Community-Oriented Nursing: Focused on improving the collective health of the

community.

- Examples: Health education and promotion, disease prevention activities. No illness

care! Community-oriented nursing = public health nursing.

Community Health Nursing versus Public Health Nursing - *Community Health Nursing*:

Delivers health care services to individuals, families, and groups. Includes communitybased nursing (illness care for individuals and families) AND community-oriented

nursing (community focused care, with an emphasis on education and disease

prevention).