Chapter 02: The History of Public Health and Public and Community Health Nursing
Stanhope: Foundations for Population Health in Community/Public Health Nursing,
5th Edition .
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is considering applying for a position as a public health nurse. Which of the following
would be a reason this position would be appealing?
a. Its autonomy and independence
b. Its focus on acute care and immediately visible outcomes
c. Its collaboration with other health care professionals
d. Its flexibility and higher wages
ANS: A
Public health nursing is known for its autonomy and independence. In many instances, there
are limited other health care professionals and staff with whom to interact. In-patient acute
care nurses focus on acute care with outcomes known fairly quickly. Acute care nurses
collaborate frequently with other health care professionals. Depending on the position there
may be more flexibility, but typically public health nurses do not receive higher wages.
2. The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 is similar to which current law?
a. Welfare
b. Food stamps
c. Medicaid
d. Medicare
ANS: C NURSINGTB.COM
The Elizabethan Poor Law guaranteed medical care for poor, blind, and “lame” individuals,
similar to Medicaid. Welfare and food stamps do not provide for medical care. Medicare
provides medical care to primarily the elderly population.
3. How did the Industrial Revolution result in previous caregiving approaches, such as care by
families, friends, and neighbors, becoming inadequate?
a. Economic and political wars resulted in frequent death and injuries.
b. Incredible plagues consistently and constantly swept the European continent.
c. Migration and urbanization resulted in increased demand for care.
d. Caregivers could easily find other employment, so they demanded to be paid.
ANS: C
Care became inadequate because of the social changes in Europe, with great advances in
transportation, communication, and other technologies. The increased mobility led to
migration and urbanization, which in turn led to increased need for care. The Industrial
Revolution was a time of great advances in technology, transportation, and communication,
not a time of economic and political unrest or a time where incredible plagues occurred in
Europe. Caregivers during this time period were typically poorly educated and untrained, so
there was not an issue related to wages or employment.
4. A colonist is working in the public health sector in early colonial America. Which of the
following activities would have likely been completed?
a. Establishing schools of nursing
This study source was downloaded by 100000841689952 from CourseHero.com on 04-30-2022 15:09:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/58534777/02pdf/ NURSINGTB.COM
, Foundations for Population Health in Community Public Health Nursing 5th Edition Stanhope Test Bank
b. Developing vaccines to administer to large numbers of people
c. Collecting vital statistics and improving sanitation
d. Developing public housing and almshouses
ANS: C
Collecting vital statistics and improving sanitation are examples of activities from the early
colonial America. Establishing schools of nursing, developing vaccines to administer to large
numbers of people, and developing public housing and almshouses all happened after the
colonial period.
5. Why did American citizens become interested in establishing government-sponsored boards
of health?
a. They were afraid of infectious diseases such as yellow fever.
b. The government could force the poverty-stricken to accept care.
c. Such boards could tax and thereby ensure adequate funds to pay for care.
d. Such a system would allow for accurate records of births and deaths.
ANS: A
Threat of disease, especially yellow fever, led to public interest in establishing
government-sponsored, or official, boards of health. The threat of disease was the impotus for
creation of the boards of establishing boards of health. The primary interest of the boards of
health was to provide public health services for the entire population and not only those who
were poverty-stricken. The primary purpose of the boards of health was not to collect accurate
vital statistics or receive tax dollars rather its purpose was to ensure the health of the
population.
6. A nurse was employed by the Marine Hospital Service in 1800. Which of the following
interventions would the nurseNmost
URSlikely
INGT B.C
have OM
completed?
a. Setting policy on quarantine legislation for immigrants
b. Establishing hospital-based programs to care for the sick at home
c. Identifying and improving environmental conditions
d. Providing health care for merchant seamen
ANS: D
Providing health care to seamen was an early effort by the federal government to improve
public health. The purpose of the Marine Hospital Service was to secure its maritime trade
and seacoast cities. Quarantine legislation was enacted by legislation during this time period,
but the nurse would not have been responsible for setting these policies. Nursing care for
clients in the home began in the first half of the 1800s through a variety of agencies including
the Ladies’ Benevolent Society of Charleston South Carolina. Identifying and improving
environmental conditions was a focus of the public boards of health, not necessarily
specifically a role of the nurse.
7. What was the outcome of the Shattuck Report?
a. Efforts to control alcohol and drug abuse, as well as tobacco use, were initiated.
b. Environmental sanitation efforts became an immediate priority.
c. Guidelines for modern public health organizations were eventually developed.
d. Local and state governments established boards of health after its publication.
ANS: C
This study source was downloaded by 100000841689952 from CourseHero.com on 04-30-2022 15:09:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/58534777/02pdf/ NURSINGTB.COM