Community assessment: Nursing

A community assessment is a systematic process used to detail the health needs within a community, which is a group of people who live in the same area or share certain experiences, values, or characteristics.

As the community health nurse, you’ll conduct a community assessment to promote the health and well-being of people within it.

Now, a community assessment can be performed to highlight a community’s strengths and assets, identify needs, or confirm the presence of a recognized problem.

Priority problems can be brought to community leaders and partners to inform health policies and plans.

A community assessment can also provide data on the progress of existing public health initiatives and ensure goals and standards are being met.

Alright, so, before you begin your community assessment, you’ll first identify the community of interest, which includes the geographic area and the people within it.

Keep in mind that, as a community health nurse, the community is your client; so, the goal of your nursing interventions is to improve the health and well-being of the community as a whole. This can often involve addressing environmental factors impacting the health of the entire community, like advocating for access to clean water, or taking steps to revise the speed limit near sensitive areas like parks.

But it can also involve providing individual treatments for problems that can have far-ranging effects on the community, like addressing intimate partner violence or reducing the risk of a community epidemic by treating a patient with active tuberculosis.

Start your assessment by gathering data about the community from primary and secondary sources.

Primary data is collected directly through interactions with community members using interviews, focus groups, or surveys.

At other times, primary data can be collected through participant observation. This is when you share in the life of the community by attending a local social event, like a fair or festival.

Another way to collect primary data is by performing a windshield survey, which involves driving around to get an overall sense of the community. If driving around the community isn’t an option, a walking survey is a good alternative.

During your survey, you may notice the types of houses of worship present in the community; if there are parks with open space where children can play safely; or if there’s evidence of public transportation, like bus stops at local grocery stores.

You may also notice if there are vacant lots; potential sources of pollution, such as heavy industries and plants; and the number of fast-food restaurants that are within walking distance of neighborhoods.

Additionally, your survey can identify the presence of resources such as health clinics and opportunities for socialization, like sports facilities or community centers.

During your survey, you’ll speak to people in the community to gather information from individuals or groups on the social determinants of health that affect them, including employment prospects, the quality of public education, and opportunities for home ownership.