NURS 3820 Midterm UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is public health - CORRECT ANSWER -Then art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life,
promoting health organized community efforts to benefit each citizen
Preserve and maintain the health of the community and surrounding populations
Legislated and tax supported/ through health departments and government agencies
3 Core Functions of Public Health - CORRECT ANSWER -Assessment
Policy Development
Assurance
Assessment: definition, examples, and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Regular
collection, analysis, and information sharing about health conditions, risks, and resources in a community
Monitor trends, analyze causes, identifying needs
Essential Services related to Assessment:
1.Monitor health status to identify problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community
Policy Development: definition and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Use of
information gathered during assessments to develop local and state health policies and to direct resources toward those
policies
Supported by scientific knowledge and an appreciation of the democratic process
Community involvement
Promote scientific basis of decision making
Essential Services related to Assessment
3.Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support community health efforts
Assurance: definition, examples, and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Ensure
essential services are provided, whether directly or through regulation, policy, or partnerships
Maintain the ability of both public health agencies and private providers to manage day to day operations and the capacity
to respond in critical citations and emergencies
Agencies should guarantee access to personal health services either by subsidizing or providing these services directly
Developing adequate responses to crises and supporting crucial services, regulation of services and products provided in
private and public sectors
Requires the exercise of authority
Essential Services related to Assessment
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure provision of care.
8. Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services.
Connecting the 3 Functions & 10 Services... - CORRECT ANSWER -Assessment → "What's going on in the
community?"
Policy Development → "What should we do about it?"
Assurance → "Are services being provided, and are they working?"
Research (10th Essential Service) → supports all three functions through innovation
What do gains in population health largely come from? - CORRECT ANSWER -Public health efforts and
initiatives
*Medicine saves individuals when they are sick, but public health keeps populations from getting sick in the first place
Gains in population health largely come from public health efforts and initiatives... what are
, some general examples of these efforts/initiatives? - CORRECT ANSWER -Improvements in sanitation
Clean water supplies
Making workplaces safer (OSHA standards, child labor laws)
Improving drug safety
Safer water and food (pasteurization, chlorination, refrigeration)
Immunizing children/ immunization programs (measles, polio eradication)
Improving nutrition
Hygiene
Housing
Tobacco control (warning labels, smoke-free laws, anti-smoking campaigns).
Motor vehicle safety (seatbelts, airbags, speed limits, DUI laws).
Maternal and child health programs (prenatal care, WIC, safe childbirth)
Environmental protections (EPA regulations, lead paint bans, clean air acts)
1988 IOM "The Future of Public Health" - CORRECT ANSWER -In the 1980s, public health was in "disarray"
Was not clearly defined, inadequately supported and funded, poorly understood by the public and policymakers, etc
Primary focus → governmental public health infrastructure
Found that...
Public health requires support by the public it serves
Government has special responsibility to ensure conditions for health are met
Called for stronger infrastructure, clearer roles, and more resources
Impact
Reestablished the 3 core functions as the foundations of public health
Pushed for the development of health people objectives
Prevention definition - CORRECT ANSWER -Policy and actions aimed at eradicating, eliminating, or minimizing
the impact of disease and disability
Primary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Prevent before problems occur
Remove disease risk factors
Individual Examples: Immunizations, wearing seatbelts, smoking cessation education, dietary teaching during pregnancy
Group/Community Examples: birthing classes for pregnant teenagers, AIDS/ other STI education for high school students
Secondary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Early detection/ intervention/ diagnosis/ treatment
Individual Examples: Mammograms, blood pressure screenings, Pap smears, contact tracing, HIV testing
Group/Community Examples: Free screening events, school-based vision/hearing testing, workplace screenings,
mammography van for screening of women in a low-income neighborhood
Tertiary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Prevention of deterioration of a diseased state
Reduce complications
Individual Examples: Physical therapy after a stroke, insulin therapy for diabetes, cardiac rehab, skin care for incontinent
patients
Group/Community Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous, community rehab centers, chronic disease management programs
like for school children with asthma, mental health services for military veterans
Meaning of "thinking upstream" - CORRECT ANSWER -Instead of just treating health problems after they
happen, nurses and public health professionals should go upstream to address the root causes (social, political,
environmental, and economic factors) → examine the origins of disease
Downstream = rescuing people who fell into the river (treating illness).
Upstream = fixing why people are falling in (changing systems, prevention).
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is public health - CORRECT ANSWER -Then art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life,
promoting health organized community efforts to benefit each citizen
Preserve and maintain the health of the community and surrounding populations
Legislated and tax supported/ through health departments and government agencies
3 Core Functions of Public Health - CORRECT ANSWER -Assessment
Policy Development
Assurance
Assessment: definition, examples, and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Regular
collection, analysis, and information sharing about health conditions, risks, and resources in a community
Monitor trends, analyze causes, identifying needs
Essential Services related to Assessment:
1.Monitor health status to identify problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community
Policy Development: definition and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Use of
information gathered during assessments to develop local and state health policies and to direct resources toward those
policies
Supported by scientific knowledge and an appreciation of the democratic process
Community involvement
Promote scientific basis of decision making
Essential Services related to Assessment
3.Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support community health efforts
Assurance: definition, examples, and how it relates to the 10 Essential Services - CORRECT ANSWER -Ensure
essential services are provided, whether directly or through regulation, policy, or partnerships
Maintain the ability of both public health agencies and private providers to manage day to day operations and the capacity
to respond in critical citations and emergencies
Agencies should guarantee access to personal health services either by subsidizing or providing these services directly
Developing adequate responses to crises and supporting crucial services, regulation of services and products provided in
private and public sectors
Requires the exercise of authority
Essential Services related to Assessment
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure provision of care.
8. Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services.
Connecting the 3 Functions & 10 Services... - CORRECT ANSWER -Assessment → "What's going on in the
community?"
Policy Development → "What should we do about it?"
Assurance → "Are services being provided, and are they working?"
Research (10th Essential Service) → supports all three functions through innovation
What do gains in population health largely come from? - CORRECT ANSWER -Public health efforts and
initiatives
*Medicine saves individuals when they are sick, but public health keeps populations from getting sick in the first place
Gains in population health largely come from public health efforts and initiatives... what are
, some general examples of these efforts/initiatives? - CORRECT ANSWER -Improvements in sanitation
Clean water supplies
Making workplaces safer (OSHA standards, child labor laws)
Improving drug safety
Safer water and food (pasteurization, chlorination, refrigeration)
Immunizing children/ immunization programs (measles, polio eradication)
Improving nutrition
Hygiene
Housing
Tobacco control (warning labels, smoke-free laws, anti-smoking campaigns).
Motor vehicle safety (seatbelts, airbags, speed limits, DUI laws).
Maternal and child health programs (prenatal care, WIC, safe childbirth)
Environmental protections (EPA regulations, lead paint bans, clean air acts)
1988 IOM "The Future of Public Health" - CORRECT ANSWER -In the 1980s, public health was in "disarray"
Was not clearly defined, inadequately supported and funded, poorly understood by the public and policymakers, etc
Primary focus → governmental public health infrastructure
Found that...
Public health requires support by the public it serves
Government has special responsibility to ensure conditions for health are met
Called for stronger infrastructure, clearer roles, and more resources
Impact
Reestablished the 3 core functions as the foundations of public health
Pushed for the development of health people objectives
Prevention definition - CORRECT ANSWER -Policy and actions aimed at eradicating, eliminating, or minimizing
the impact of disease and disability
Primary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Prevent before problems occur
Remove disease risk factors
Individual Examples: Immunizations, wearing seatbelts, smoking cessation education, dietary teaching during pregnancy
Group/Community Examples: birthing classes for pregnant teenagers, AIDS/ other STI education for high school students
Secondary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Early detection/ intervention/ diagnosis/ treatment
Individual Examples: Mammograms, blood pressure screenings, Pap smears, contact tracing, HIV testing
Group/Community Examples: Free screening events, school-based vision/hearing testing, workplace screenings,
mammography van for screening of women in a low-income neighborhood
Tertiary Prevention - CORRECT ANSWER -Prevention of deterioration of a diseased state
Reduce complications
Individual Examples: Physical therapy after a stroke, insulin therapy for diabetes, cardiac rehab, skin care for incontinent
patients
Group/Community Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous, community rehab centers, chronic disease management programs
like for school children with asthma, mental health services for military veterans
Meaning of "thinking upstream" - CORRECT ANSWER -Instead of just treating health problems after they
happen, nurses and public health professionals should go upstream to address the root causes (social, political,
environmental, and economic factors) → examine the origins of disease
Downstream = rescuing people who fell into the river (treating illness).
Upstream = fixing why people are falling in (changing systems, prevention).
