Prepare for this Discussion
By Day 3 – Post your response to the following:
Pick a top health issue in your community and describe some ways in which a nurse might improve this issue at the population level.
Are the problems that your colleagues are sharing the same as you are seeing in your communities, or are they different?
Consider different aspects of intervention(s) at the system and community levels of care to address health problems in their own communities. Consider Dr. Attia’s profound message as you respond to your peers and think outside the box.
How to Approach Each Question
1. Pick a top health issue in your community and describe some ways in which a nurse might improve this issue at the population level.
This question is testing your ability to:
Identify a major health problem in your community
Show how community health nurses intervene
Apply population-level thinking, not just individual care
How to structure the answer
Step 1 – Identify the health issue
Choose a common community health issue such as:
Smoking
Obesity
Diabetes
Hypertension
Mental health
Substance abuse
Briefly explain:
Why it is a problem in your community
Who is mostly affected
Step 2 – Explain the nurse’s role
Describe how community nurses could address the issue using population-level strategies, for example:
Health education programs
Community screenings
Prevention campaigns
School education programs
Smoking cessation clinics
Community partnerships
Step 3 – Mention community tools
Include tools used in community nursing such as:
The Intervention Wheel
Community outreach
Population assessment
Public health education
The key focus is preventing disease and improving health for groups of people, not just individuals.
2. Are the problems that your colleagues are sharing the same as you are seeing in your communities, or are they different?
This question checks your ability to:
Compare health problems across communities
Recognize how social determinants affect health issues
How to approach it
You should:
Briefly mention the issue you identified
Compare it with issues your classmates discussed
Explain whether:
They are similar health problems
Or different due to geography, culture, or resources
For example, some communities may struggle with:
Smoking
Drug abuse
Obesity
Limited healthcare access
The goal is to show awareness that community health problems vary.
3. Consider different aspects of interventions at the system and community levels. Think about Dr. Attia’s message and respond to peers.
This question focuses on:
Higher-level thinking
Community and system solutions
Applying ideas from Dr. Attia’s TED Talk
How to approach it
When responding to peers:
Step 1 – Acknowledge their issue
Briefly recognize the health issue they mentioned.
Step 2 – Suggest broader interventions
Think beyond individual care and suggest:
Community level interventions
Public education campaigns
School health programs
Community screenings
Local partnerships
System level interventions
Healthcare policy changes
Improved access to clinics
Insurance coverage
Government prevention programs
Step 3 – Connect to Dr. Attia’s message
Dr. Attia’s message focuses on:
Prevention
Thinking long-term about health
Addressing root causes of disease
You should show that healthcare should focus on prevention rather than only treating illness.
Sample Solution
A top health issue in my community is hypertension. So many people in my community suffer from hypertension due to social determinants of health. Many of the people in my community do not have the money to buy healthier food and we all know that fast food and unhealthy foods are cheap. The people in my community also lack the education behind preventing hypertension and nutrition education…..Click below to access the full sample solution (PDF)