COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSING: TRACKING TRENDS AND RISKS
(2026/2027 EDITION)
RATED A+ | 150+ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
WITH RATIONALES
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF
COMMUNITY/PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING (12
Q&As)
Q1: What is the primary focus of community
health nursing (CHN)?
A1: Promoting health and preventing disease at
the population level, focusing on aggregates
(subpopulations) rather than individual patients.
Rationale: CHN shifts from one-on-one care to
entire communities, using epidemiology, social
determinants, and systems thinking.
,2|Page
Q2: How does public health nursing (PHN)
differ from community health nursing?
A2: PHN is a subset of CHN that emphasizes
government-funded, official agency roles
(local/state health departments) with a focus on
underserved populations and policy advocacy.
Rationale: PHN often involves emergency
preparedness, communicable disease control,
and regulatory functions.
Q3: What is the Lillian Wald contribution to
public health nursing?
A3: Founded the Henry Street Settlement
(1893) in NYC, establishing district nursing and
the Visiting Nurse Service, and coined the term
"public health nurse."
Rationale: Considered the founder of public
health nursing in the US.
Q4: True or False: Public health nursing focuses
exclusively on low-income populations.
A4: False. PHN serves entire communities but
prioritizes vulnerable populations (low-income,
,3|Page
uninsured, elderly, children, immigrants) to
reduce health disparities.
Rationale: Equity focus does not mean
exclusivity.
Q5: What are the three core functions of public
health according to the IOM (1988)?
A5: 1) Assessment (monitor health,
diagnose/investigate), 2) Policy development
(develop policies, enforce laws), 3) Assurance
(link to care, assure competent workforce,
evaluate).
Rationale: Known as the "Three Core
Functions" framework.
Q6: What are the ten essential public health
services (2020 revised framework)?
A6: 1) Assess, 2) Investigate, 3) Communicate,
4) Strengthen/Support, 5) Create/Champion, 6)
Utilize, 7) Maintain, 8) Build, 9)
Improve/Innovate, 10) Rebuild.
Rationale: Updated from original 1994 EPHS;
, 4|Page
adds equity and community partnership
emphasis.
Q7: True or False: The nursing process (ADPIE)
applies to community health nursing.
A7: True. Assessment (community data),
Diagnosis (community health problem),
Planning (intervention), Implementation
(program), Evaluation (outcomes). Scale differs
from individual care.
Rationale: ADPIE adapted for populations.
Q8: What is the "community-as-partner"
model?
A8: Betty Neuman-derived model where
community is the client, and nurse partners with
community members to identify strengths,
problems, and solutions – not top-down.
Rationale: Emphasizes community
engagement, not paternalism.
Q9: What is the difference between primary,
secondary, and tertiary prevention in