Public Health Test Bank
All Chapters complete (1-31)
All Answers highlighted and Verified
Chapter 01: Community-Oriented Nursing and Community-Based
... [Show More] Nursing
Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following best describes community-based nursing?
a. A philosophy that guides family-centered
illness care
b. Providing care with a focus on the group’s
Needs
c. Giving care with a focus on the
aggregate’s needs
d. A value system in which all clients receive
optimal care
ANS: A
By definition, community-based nursing is nursing that focuses on family-centered
illness care to individuals and families in the community.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 2-3
2. Which of the following best describes community-oriented nursing?
a. Focusing on the provision of care to
individuals and families
b. Providing care to manage acute or chronic
Conditions
c. Giving direct care to ill individuals within
their family setting
d. Having the goal of health promotion and
disease prevention
ANS: D
By definition, community-oriented nursing has the goal of preserving, protecting, or
maintaining health to promote the quality of life. All nurses may focus on individuals and
families, give direct care to ill persons within their family setting, and help manage acute
or chronic conditions.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: pp. 2, 10
3. Which of the following is the primary focus of public health nursing?
a. Families and groups
b. Illness-oriented care
c. Individuals within the family unit
d. Promotion of quality of life
ANS: D
The key difference between community-based and community-oriented nursing is that
community-based nurses deal primarily with illness-oriented care, whereas communityoriented nurses—or public health nurses—provide health care to promote quality of life.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 2
4. Which of the following is responsible for the dramatic increase in life
expectancy during the twentieth century?
a. Technology increases in the field of
medical laboratory research
b. Advances in surgical techniques and
Procedures
c. Sanitation and other public health
Activities
d. Use of antibiotics to fight infections
ANS: C
Improvement in control of infectious diseases through immunizations, sanitation, and
other public health activities led to the increase in life expectancy from less than 50 years
in 1900 to more than 77 years in 2002.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Remember (Knowledge) REF: p. 2
5. A nurse is developing a plan to decrease the number of premature deaths
in the community. Which of the following interventions would most likely be
implemented by the nurse?
a. Increase the community’s knowledge
about hospice care.
b. Promote healthy lifestyle behavior choices
among the community members.
c. Encourage employers to have wellness
centers at each industrial site.
d. Ensure timely and effective medical
intervention and treatment for community
members.
ANS: B
Public health approaches could help prevent about 70% of early deaths by influencing the
way people eat, drink, drive, engage in exercise, and treat the environment.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 2
6. Which of the following is a basic assumption of public health efforts?
a. Health disparities among any groups are
morally and legally wrong.
b. Health care is the most important priority
in government planning and funding.
c. The health of individuals cannot be
separated from the health of the
community.
d. The government is responsible for
lengthening the life span of Americans.
ANS: C
Public health can be described as what society collectively does to ensure that conditions
exist in which people can be healthy.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 4
7. Which of the following actions would most likely be performed by a
public health nurse?
a. Asking community leaders what
interventions should be chosen
b. Assessing the community and deciding on
appropriate interventions
c. Using data from the main health care
institutions in the community to determine
needed health services
d. Working with community groups to create
policies to improve the environment
ANS: D
Although the public health nurse might engage in any of the tasks listed, he or she works
primarily with members of the community to carry out core public health functions,
including assessment of the population as a whole and engaging in promoting health and
improving the environment.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 8
8. Which of the following public health nurses most clearly fulfills the
responsibilities of this role?
a. The nurse who met with several groups to
discuss community recreation issues
b. The nurse who spent the day attending
meetings of various health agencies
c. The nurse who talked to several people
about their particular health concerns
d. The nurse who watched the city council
meeting on local cable television
ANS: B
Any of these descriptions might represent a nurse communicating, cooperating, or
collaborating with community residents or groups about health concerns. However, the
nurse who spent the day attending meetings of various health agencies is the most
representative, because in public health, concerns are broader than recreation, individual
concerns are not as important as aggregate priorities, and watching television (a one-way
form of communication) is less effective than interacting with others.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Analyze (Analysis) REF: pp. 6-7
9. Which of the following best defines aggregate?
a. A large group of persons
b. A collection of individuals and families
c. A group of persons who share one or more
characteristics
d. Another name for demographic group
ANS: C
An aggregate is defined as a collection of people who share one or more personal or
environmental characteristics, such as geography or special interest.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Remember (Knowledge) REF: p. 7
10. A registered nurse was just employed as a public health nurse. Which
question would be the most relevant for the nurse to ask?
a. “Which groups are at the greatest risk for
problems?”
b. “Which patients should I see first as I
begin my day?”
c. “With which physicians will I be most
closely collaborating?”
d. “With which nursing assistants will I
partner the most?”
ANS: A
Asking which groups are at greatest risk reflects a community-oriented perspective. The
other possible responses reflect a focus on individuals.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 8
11. Making sure that essential community-oriented health services are
available defines which of the core public health functions?
a. Policy development
b. Assessment
c. Assurance
d. Scientific knowledge-based care
ANS: C
Public health is based on scientific knowledge but is not a core function. The definition
does not fit the terms assessment or policy development.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 4
12. When talking to a women’s group at the senior citizens’ center, the nurse
reminded them that the only way the center would be able to afford to provide
transportation services for them would be for them to continue to write letters to their
local city council representatives requesting funding for such a service. What was the
nurse trying to accomplish through this action?
a. Ensure that the women did not expect the
nurse to solve their problem
b. Demonstrate that the nurse understood the
women’s concerns and needs
c. Express empathy, support, and concern
d. Help the women engage in political action
ANS: D
Public health nurses engage themselves and others in policy development and encourage
and assist persons to communicate their needs to those with the power to take action.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 8
13. The public health nurse has a clear vision of what needs to be done and
where to begin to improve the health of the community. Why would the nurse spend time
meeting with community groups to discuss the most important task to be addressed first?
a. To increase the group’s self-esteem
b. To maintain communication links with the
groups
c. To make the groups feel good about their
contribution
d. To work with the groups, not for the
groups
ANS: D
Historically, health care providers have been accused of providing care for or to people
without actually involving the recipients in the decisions. Public health nursing is a “with
the people”—not a “to the people” or “for the people”—approach to planning.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 8
14. The nurse often has to make resource allocation decisions. Which of the
following best describes the criterion the nurse should use in such cases?
a. The specific moral or ethical principle
related to the situation
b. The cheapest, most economical approach
c. The most rational probable outcome
d. The needs of the aggregate rather than a
few individuals
ANS: D
Although all of the choices represent components of a decision that the nurse might
consider, the dominant needs of the population outweigh the expressed needs of one or a
few people.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 9
15. Which of the following actions best represents public health nursing?
a. Assessing the effectiveness of the large
high school health clinic
b. Caring for clients in their home following
their outpatient surgeries
c. Providing care to children and their
families at the school clinic
d. Administering follow-up care for pediatric
clients at an outpatient clinic
ANS: A
A public health or population-focused approach would look at the entire group of
children being served to determine whether available services are effective in achieving
the goal of improving the health of the school population.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 10
16. Two nurses plan to walk under a huge downtown bridge where various
homeless persons live. Why would the nurses go to such an unsafe area?
a. To assess the needs of the homeless who
live there
b. To demonstrate their courage and
commitment
c. To distribute some of their own surplus
clothes to those who can use them
d. To share with various churches and other
charities what is needed
ANS: A
In most nursing practices, the client seeks out and requests assistance. In public health
nursing, the nurse often reaches out to those who might benefit from a service or
intervention, beginning with assessment of needs.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 9
MULTIPLE RESPONSE
1. Which of the following variables have led to a stronger commitment to
population-focused services? (Select all that apply.)
a. Economic turmoil and demand for hightechnology care
b. Emergence of new or drug-resistant
infectious diseases
c. Emphasis on overall health care needs
rather than only on acute care treatment
d. Threat of bioterrorism
ANS: B, C, D
As overall health needs become the focus of care in the United States, a stronger
commitment to population-focused services is emerging. Threats of bioterrorism, anthrax
scares, and the emergence of modern-day epidemics have drawn attention to populationfocused safety and services.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 4
2. Which of the following actions demonstrate(s) effective public health
nursing practice in the community? (Select all that apply.)
a. Epidemiologic investigations examine the
environment for health hazards.
b. New services are organized where
particular vulnerable populations live.
c. Partnerships are established with
community coalitions.
d. Staff members at the public health agency
continue to increase in number.
ANS: A, B, C
Evidence that public health nurses are practicing effectively in the community would
include these: organizing services where people live, work, play, and learn; working in
partnerships and with coalitions; and participating in epidemiologic studies.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 10
3. Why are nurses increasingly providing care in clients’ homes rather than in
hospitals? (Select all that apply.)
a. Home care is less expensive.
b. It is much more efficient to give care in
the home.
c. Nurses prefer to give home care with
individual attention.
d. People prefer to receive care in their
homes rather than in hospitals.
ANS: A, D
An increasing number of clients are receiving care in the home because it is less
expensive and clients prefer to receive care in familiar and comfortable settings. It is not
more efficient nor more convenient, since travel time has to be considered. Nurses differ
as to their preferred employment setting.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 11
Chapter 02: The History of Public Health and Public and Community Health
Nursing
Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is considering applying for a position as a public health nurse.
Which of the following would be a reason this position would be appealing?
a. Its autonomy and independence
b. Its focus on acute care and immediately
visible outcomes
c. Its collaboration with other health care
professionals
d. Its flexibility and higher wages
ANS: A
In-patient acute care nurses (not public health nurses) focus on acute care with outcomes
known fairly quickly. Unlike in-patient nursing, in which there are other health care
professionals and staff with whom to interact, public health nursing is known for its
autonomy and independence.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 15
2. The Elizabeth Poor Law of 1601 is similar to which current law?
a. Welfare
b. Food stamps
c. Medicaid
d. Medicare
ANS: C
The Poor Law guaranteed medical care for poor, blind, and “lame” individuals, similar to
Medicaid.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Analyze (Analysis) REF: p. 15
3. How did the Industrial Revolution result in previous caregiving
approaches, such as care by families, friends, and neighbors, becoming inadequate?
a. Economic and political wars resulted in
frequent death and injuries.
b. Incredible plagues consistently and
constantly swept the European continent.
c. Migration and urbanization resulted in
increased demand for care.
d. Caregivers could easily find other
employment, so they demanded to be
paid.
ANS: C
Care became inadequate because of the social changes in Europe, with great advances in
transportation, communication, and other technologies. The increased mobility led to
migration and urbanization, which in turn led to increased need for care.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 15
4. A colonist is working in the public health sector in early colonial America.
Which of the following activities would have likely been completed?
a. Establishing schools of nursing
b. Developing vaccines to administer to
large numbers of people
c. Collecting vital statistics and improving
sanitation
d. Developing public housing and
almshouses
ANS: C
The other choices are events that happened after the colonial period.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 16
5. Why did American citizens become interested in establishing governmentcontrolled boards of health?
a. They were afraid of infectious diseases
such as yellow fever.
b. The government could force the povertystricken to accept care.
c. Such boards could tax and thereby ensure
adequate funds to pay for care.
d. Such a system would allow for accurate
records of births and deaths.
ANS: A
Threat of disease, especially yellow fever, led to public interest in establishing
government-sponsored, or official, boards of health.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 16
6. A nurse was employed by the Marine Hospital Service in 1800. Which of
the following interventions would the nurse most likely have completed?
a. Setting policy on quarantine legislation
for immigrants
b. Establishing hospital-based programs to
care for the sick at home
c. Identifying and improving environmental
conditions
d. Providing health care for merchant
seamen
ANS: D
Providing health care to seamen was an early effort by the federal government to improve
public health. The purpose of the Marine Hospital Service was to secure its maritime
trade and seacoast cities.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: p. 16
7. What was the outcome of the Shattuck Report?
a. Efforts to control alcohol and drug abuse,
as well as tobacco use, were initiated.
b. Environmental sanitation efforts became
an immediate priority.
c. Guidelines for modern public health
organizations were eventually developed.
d. Local and state governments established
boards of health after its publication.
ANS: C
It took 19 years for the first of Shattuck’s recommendations to be implemented, but his
report was the first effort to create a modern public health organization.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 16
8. Which of the following nurses is famous for creating public health nursing
in the United States?
a. Florence Nightingale
b. Frances Root
c. Lillian Wald
d. Mrs. Solomon Loeb
ANS: C
Lillian Wald established the Henry Street Settlement and later emerged as the established
leader of public health nursing during its early decades.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Remember (Knowledge) REF: p. 18
9. Which of the following would have been the focus of a school nurse in the
early 20th century?
a. Investigating causes of absenteeism
b. Teaching school as well as being a nurse
c. Promoting nursing as an autonomous
practice
d. Providing medical treatment to enable
children to return to school
ANS: A
Early school nursing focused on investigating causes of absenteeism, not providing
medical treatment. That was the responsibility of physicians.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: pp. 18-19
10. A nurse is reviewing the original work of the National Organization for
Public Health Nursing. Which of the following accomplishments of today was started
within this organization?
a. Requiring that public health nurses have a
baccalaureate degree in nursing
b. Standardizing public health nursing
education
c. Developing nursing cooperatives
d. Opening the Henry Street Settlement
ANS: B
The National Organization for Public Health Nursing sought to standardize public health
nursing. The Henry Street Settlement was already in existence. The baccalaureate degree
in nursing was not developed yet.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (Application) REF: pp. 19-20
11. Why were nurses so unprepared for public health nursing in the early
twentieth century?
a. Community health nursing had not yet
been created as a field.
b. No one would teach the nurses how to
engage in public health activities.
c. Nightingale’s textbook did not include
content on public health nursing.
d. Nurses were educated in diploma schools,
which focused on hospital nursing.
ANS: D
Nursing school courses taught in diploma schools of nursing emphasized hospital care of
patients; thus, nurses were unprepared for home visiting.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension) REF: p. 20
12. A nurse is considering joining the American Public Health Association.
What information about this organization should be considered when making this
decision?
a. APHA focuses on the public health
concerns of the medical profession.
b. APHA represents concerns of nursing
specialty practices.
c. APHA provides a forum for nurses to
discuss their public health concerns.
d. APHA focuses on providing health
promotion education to the public. [Show Less]