A New Public Health Nursing Assessment Tool

Abstract

Background: The authors designed a new Public Health Nursing Assessment Tool (PHNAT) that combines Healthy People 2010 determinants of health (biology, behavior, social environment, policy and interventions, and access to care), health status, the Minnesota Department of Health Population-Based Public Health Nursing Practice Intervention Wheel Strategies, and self-reflection.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to pilot the use of the PHNAT with nursing students and an expert in public health nursing.Methodology: A pilot group consisting of 4 RN-BS students in their public health nursing clinical experience completed the PHNAT and critiqued its usability and relevance pertaining to their public health course and population based assessment. An expert in the field of public health nursing also reviewed the PHNAT for face validity. A critique of the reviewers was assessed by the authors of the tool and changes made accordingly.Findings: Participants found the PHNAT enabled them to more readily use the determinants of health as a guide in assessing the population and community and directed them to apply the Intervention Wheel Strategies. The comprehensiveness of the PHNAT also suggested that the completion of a public health nursing assessment would lend itself to group work in a course or in the practice setting. Some sections needed revision as did the instruction guide.Summary Concluding Statement: The unique qualities of the PHNAT provide the public health nurse with data to analyze and ultimately determine the priority health care issues for a specific population within a community. It has potential to be used in the baccalaureate and possibly graduate nursing programs as well as in public health settings. Further studies need to be carried out on the efficacy of the tool and its use in supporting the health of the individual, family, population, and community. Background: The authors designed a new Public Health Nursing Assessment Tool (PHNAT) that combines Healthy People 2010 determinants of health (biology, behavior, social environment, policy and interventions, and access to care), health status, the Minnesota Department of Health Population-Based Public Health Nursing Practice Intervention Wheel Strategies, and self-reflection. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to pilot the use of the PHNAT with nursing students and an expert in public health nursing. Methodology: A pilot group consisting of 4 RN-BS students in their public health nursing clinical experience completed the PHNAT and critiqued its usability and relevance pertaining to their public health course and population based assessment. An expert in the field of public health nursing also reviewed the PHNAT for face validity. A critique of the reviewers was assessed by the authors of the tool and changes made accordingly. Findings: Participants found the PHNAT enabled them to more readily use the determinants of health as a guide in assessing the population and community and directed them to apply the Intervention Wheel Strategies. The comprehensiveness of the PHNAT also suggested that the completion of a public health nursing assessment would lend itself to group work in a course or in the practice setting. Some sections needed revision as did the instruction guide. Summary Concluding Statement: The unique qualities of the PHNAT provide the public health nurse with data to analyze and ultimately determine the priority health care issues for a specific population within a community. It has potential to be used in the baccalaureate and possibly graduate nursing programs as well as in public health settings. Further studies need to be carried out on the efficacy of the tool and its use in supporting the health of the individual, family, population, and community.