Community Health Nursing : Frameworks for Practice

This new edition of a highly successful key textbook for community health courses has been fully updated to reflect the changes in primary health care over the last decade. There are new chapters on the prevention of physical child abuse, community mental health nursing, community learning disability nursing and school nursing and greater emphasis on the significance of public health as a framework for practice. Community health nursing identifies frameworks that can help define new roles in practice and will provoke discussion on the common challenges and concerns relevant to all nurses in the community, including

Pressures for change
in health and social policy, primary care and quality improvement

The public health framework
epidemiology, poverty and health issues

The family as a framework for practice
from both sociological and psychological perspectives

Professional frameworks for practice
legal and ethical aspects, teamwork and leadership

Shifting the boundaries of community practice
changing clinical roles in specialist nursing areas

Challenges for the future
including value for money, information technology and promoting public health

Written by a combination of leading academics and practitioners from a range of disciplines, each chapter identifies key issues and questions for discussion. Extensively referenced and providing clear guidance on up to date further reading, this book provides and comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis of the key issues. All nurses intending to practice in the community will welcome this text as an essential response to the challenges ahead.

• Comprehensive text fully addressing current and future educational and practice requirements.
• Well-known authors in the field.
• Multidisciplinary approach and by addressing issues across the range of community health practice will be relevant to many different types of practitioner.
• Discussion points stimulate debate, aid critical analysis, self-directed study and application of issues to practice.
• Key points and summaries aid comprehension and revision.
• Attractive design with boxes and tables make the text highly accessible.
• Suggested further reading and references aid further study.

Fully updated in response to changes in the structure and organization of the health service

Includes new policy areas such as clinical governance, clinical effectiveness, Primary Care groups, collaboration between professional groups, social inclusion

Covers recent developments in practice such as the emphasis on public health

New chapters on the prevention of physical child abuse, community mental health nursing, community learning disability nursing and school nursing

Pam Gastrell, MPhil, BA, RN, RM, RHV, DN, RNT, Cert Ed, Formerly Director of Studies, Primary Health Care, University of Southampton, UK; Judy Edwards, OBE, BSc (Econ), RN, RHV, PGCE,, Co-Course Director, Community Health Studies, University of Wales College of Medicine, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Cardiff, UK; and Dianne Watkins, Director, Primary Care/Community Nursing Directorate, University of Wales College of Medicine, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Cardiff, UK