Topics 2 and 3

Define and differentiate the role of the community health, public health and home health care nurse. How have these nursing specialties changed through the years? How are the roles integrated? How do they overlap?

The focus of community and public health nurses is based on a broader idea of health promotion and prevention through education, policies and practices. Community or public health nurses care for an entire community or population by educating the public about various issues such as proper nutrition, early detection of diseases, disease prevention and how to access care; Initiating and changing policies and programs for communities by working with varied entities such as government agencies, schools, home health agencies, housing developments and neighborhood centers (Kulbok, 2012). I think that community health is only differentiated from public health by the scope or focus; Community health deals with a geographical area or distinct population or group, while public health deals with the society or policies as a whole. Home health nurses, on the other hand, focus on caring, restoring and facilitating the health of the individual. A home health nurse ideally collaborates with the patient and their families to work out their plan of care and what their goals are. Their duties include wound care, IV administration, education, and management of chronic illnesses (Rice, 2006). There is however, a lot of overlap between the disciplines. Home health nursing is greatly influenced by government regulation, policies and standards of practices; which are often times developed by and/or based on research garnered from community and public nurses.
Nursing evolves with the needs and “social consciousness” of a society, as well as government policies and funding. In the late 19th century,