ABSTRACT

Background

Community Health Nursing is a field of Nursing Practice for which there exists a body of knowledge and related skills which is applied in meeting the health needs of the communities and of individuals, families in their normal environments such as home, school and the place of work. Community Health Nursing may influenced the lives of the community members positively or negatively  due to the activities carried out by community health workers in the community.

Method: A cross-sectional study was done on 217 possiblity selected participants. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Statistical analysis wasdone using the R studio version 4.41 (R programing) for analysis. Data was summarized andpresented on tables and graphs.

Results. Results shows that majority majority  of the participants have full knowledge of what is community and community health nursing has greatly influenced their lives positively

Key.Assessment  the awareness of community health nursing and assessing its impact of community health nursing in the Molyko community

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background 

      Community Health Nursing is a field of Nursing Practice for which there exists a body of knowledge and related skills which is applied in meeting the health needs of the communities and of individuals, families in their normal environments such as home, school and the place of work. It is a Professional Nursing focusing attention on serving people through organized community effect in their usual environments (home ,school and work), and part of community effort of health promotion.To increase the capability of families groups and communities [1].Community health nursing theory addresses collective concepts of nursing domains in an attempt to rectify environmental, resiliency, and community abilities for healthcare issues among diverse population and avoids simple groupings of aggregates. Conceptual frameworks are introduced to help urban and rural communities implement preventative measures for health and wellbeing of residents through rural-based community health nursing programs [2]. Community well-being is an encompassing concept that goes beyond mere absence of disease and focuses on the overall health, happiness, and prosperity of a community. It recognizes that individuals’ well-being intricately linked to their social, economic, and environmental circumstances. [3].Recent developments have taken place in community health care. Various types of providers have been used to increase access to care and healing services to meet the needs of the people. Since the health-care demands of the community and people are diverse, non-professional care and services may be needed to complement professional care and fulfil demands [4]. Community health nursing is a Community health nursing is a comprehensive, holistic specialty. It is one of the ways through which the health department partment provides health care. Community health nursing not only focuses on the individual’s health needs, but the health of the collective population. By working with whole communities and the health care system, a community health nurses can greatly influence the health of a population. Community health nursing offers the nurses a unique opportunity to be involved with a changing area of health care.Community nursing is by no means a new profession, yet it is one that is highly relevant in the contemporary healthcare sector. It is a distinct field of practice which focuses on the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, disability, and the maintenance of optimal health of individuals and families in the community. Community nurses provide care within the structure of the community through home visits, clinics, and community centers. The underlying philosophy of community nursing is one that is focused on the promotion of health and the quality of life within the communities and individuals. It encompasses an understanding that health is more than the absence of diseases and those individuals have the right to achieve their optimal health potential. This is achieved through a holistic approach to health that is directed towards complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Community nurses work in partnerships with individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations – providing an umbrella of care ranging from the specific to the comprehensive, through the lifespan, and further encompassing a range of integrated services. Community nursing services are provided to people who are unable to meet a general practitioner or health facility due to immobility, isolation, a lack of transport, or those who would prefer to receive nursing care in the comfort of their own home[5]

  1.2 Problem Statement

 Previously, health was seen as the very opposite of illnesses and diseases.  In 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) effected a major change to the global view of health, not just as the very opposite of illnesses and diseases but also as a way of life [6]. In 2017, about 60% of patients presenting at all hospital, emergency department in the United States presented with preventable chronic conditions amounting to about $8.3 billion in cost. This increase  in the spread of preventable diseases shows the lack of community health nursing[6]. Thus this why this study seeks to assess the awareness of community health nursing and assess its impacts in the Molyko Buea community.

1.3 Rational

Preventable chronic conditions have amounted to a greater cost due to the lack of health education and health awareness in the community. This study aims to evaluate the awareness of community health nursing and its impacts in the Molyko Buea community.

1.4 Research Questions

• Do the inhabitants of Molyko community have knowledge on community health nursing
• What positive impacts has community health nursing brought to the inhabitants of Molyko Buea Community
• What negative impacts has community health nursing brought to the inhabitants of Molyko Buea Community

1.5 Hypothesis

Community health nursing has a positive impact on the people in the Molyko Buea community, but people in the Molyko Buea community are not fully knowledgeable on what community health nursing is all about.

1.6.1 General objective

• To assess the awareness of community health nursing and it’s impacts in the Molyko Buea community.

1.6.2 Specific objective

To assess how much knowledge people in the Molyko Buea community have about community health care nursing .

• To assess the positive impacts of community health nursing in the Molyko Buea community.
• To assess the negative impacts of community health nursing in the Molyko  Buea community.