Windshield Survey
Windshield Survey Reflection
Windshield Survey Reflection
Community health nurses treat communities through the application of the nursing process. The process is community focused rather than treating the individual. Phase one begins with identifying a community. Phase two is the assessment phase consisting of data collection, interpretation, and analysis. The collection of direct data may be done through focus groups, interviews, observation, and windshield surveys.
Denver, Colorado was the focus of my windshield survey, and I saw more in one day than I ever noticed as a resident for four years. I recognized that drug use is prevalent, there are a large number of medical marijuana dispensaries, and the homeless population is greater than I thought previously. Each of these issues in Denver warrants their own community nursing diagnosis. Three priority nursing diagnoses, based solely on the windshield survey, are risk of violence among the businesses of Denver related to neighboring medical marijuana dispensaries, risk of crime among the residents of Denver related to prevalent drug use and sales, and risk of malnutrition among the homeless population of Denver related to lack of access to adequate nutrition.
Medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up in every neighborhood of Colorado, but in Denver alone there are sometimes two dispensaries per block. This puts people in the area at risk for increased violence, such as beatings, murder, and violent burglary. If the state regulators limited the number of dispensaries per city based on population and the police increased the patrolling in these areas, the risk for violence may decrease. This would require the community nurse to become politically active and fight for these goals through the government leaders in Colorado. The nurse could interview residents of the area and get signatures on a petition to present to the city.
Drug sales and use is visible throughout the Denver area, and the
Windshield Survey Reflection
Community health nurses treat communities through the application of the nursing process. The process is community focused rather than treating the individual. Phase one begins with identifying a community. Phase two is the assessment phase consisting of data collection, interpretation, and analysis. The collection of direct data may be done through focus groups, interviews, observation, and windshield surveys.
Denver, Colorado was the focus of my windshield survey, and I saw more in one day than I ever noticed as a resident for four years. I recognized that drug use is prevalent, there are a large number of medical marijuana dispensaries, and the homeless population is greater than I thought previously. Each of these issues in Denver warrants their own community nursing diagnosis. Three priority nursing diagnoses, based solely on the windshield survey, are risk of violence among the businesses of Denver related to neighboring medical marijuana dispensaries, risk of crime among the residents of Denver related to prevalent drug use and sales, and risk of malnutrition among the homeless population of Denver related to lack of access to adequate nutrition.
Medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up in every neighborhood of Colorado, but in Denver alone there are sometimes two dispensaries per block. This puts people in the area at risk for increased violence, such as beatings, murder, and violent burglary. If the state regulators limited the number of dispensaries per city based on population and the police increased the patrolling in these areas, the risk for violence may decrease. This would require the community nurse to become politically active and fight for these goals through the government leaders in Colorado. The nurse could interview residents of the area and get signatures on a petition to present to the city.
Drug sales and use is visible throughout the Denver area, and the
References: Healthy People 2020. (2012). Leading health indicators. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/default.aspx Metro Denver homeless initiative. (2012). Retrieved from http://mdhi.org/ National Drug Intelligence Center. (2007). Drug-related crime. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs23/23917/crime.htm Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2008). Public health nursing: Population-centered healthcare in the community (7th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection. United States Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). The office of minority health. Retrieved from http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=1&lvlID=8