Community Health Nursing Flashcards

What is the difference between quarantine and isolation in public health?

Answer: Quarantine separates exposed (possibly incubating) people; isolation separates confirmed cases

Isolation applies to confirmed infectious cases to prevent transmission. Quarantine applies to individuals who have been exposed and may be incubating the disease but are not yet confirmed to be infectious. Both prevent further spread.

What is the primary nursing role in a school health program?

Answer: Health promotion, early identification of problems, and provision of first aid

School nurses focus on health promotion (nutrition, mental health, hygiene education), screening (vision, hearing, scoliosis), early identification of health problems, first aid for acute injuries, and managing chronic conditions (asthma, diabetes, epilepsy) in the school setting.

Which approach best describes 'health promotion' according to the Ottawa Charter?

Answer: Enabling people to increase control over and improve their health

The Ottawa Charter (1986) defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health. It encompasses building healthy public policies, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services.

A community nurse identifies a cluster of measles cases in one school. What is the immediate priority action?

Answer: Report to public health authorities and ensure immunization status of all contacts is reviewed

A disease cluster requires immediate mandatory reporting to public health authorities who will investigate the outbreak, verify diagnoses, identify the source, and implement control measures (vaccination of susceptibles, exclusion of cases). Measles has no specific antiviral treatment.

What is the 'chain of infection' in infection control?

Answer: Infectious agent → reservoir → portal of exit → transmission → portal of entry → susceptible host

The chain of infection describes the six links required for infection transmission: infectious agent, reservoir (where it lives), portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Breaking any link prevents infection.

What does 'case fatality rate' measure?

Answer: The proportion of diagnosed cases of a disease who die from it

Case fatality rate (CFR) = (deaths from disease / confirmed cases of disease) × 100%. It measures the severity/lethality of a disease and is different from mortality rate (deaths per population). A high CFR indicates a highly deadly disease.