Community Health Assessment: A Systematic Approach

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Nurses are continually being told to become more familiar with the health care delivery system in which they function. Their traditional tasks have been to prevent and intervene in illness, and to promote and maintain the health of individuals and families. Accordingly, when community health nurses are asked to identify and meet the needs of a more complex client _ the community _ they are frequently overwhelmed. The proliferation of survey approaches available (Bell and Newby, 1974; Poplin, 1979) does not make the task easier. As one of three nurse investigators asked to develop a comprehensive baseline study of a particular community's health needs, I found that a systematic approach to assessment was uniquely beneficial. This article focuses on the use of general systems theory (Von Bertalanffy, 1968) as a framework for community analysis. It provides an overview of the systems theory terminology relevant to community assessment and briefly describes the community involved. It also outlines the inherent advantages and disadvantages of the approach.