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Population Health for Nurses

Key Terms

Population Health for NursesKey Terms
colonialism
the practice of powerful nations asserting control and exploiting other nations for political or economic purposes
community health
a specialty area of nursing and health practice focused on the health and risks of a specific locality or community of people
notifiable infectious diseases
diseases that, when identified, require health care providers to report the occurrence to public health officials
paternalism
authority figures making decisions for others in a manner that suppresses their identity and autonomy
primary prevention
initiatives that aim to prevent an adverse health event from occurring, such as immunizations and health promotion education
primordial prevention
initiatives that aim to reduce risk for a disease or condition across an entire population, such as social change and national policy
public health
a specialty area of nursing and health practice focused on supporting the well-being of society through organized efforts to ensure health is attainable for all
public health emergencies
illnesses or health conditions that pose a significant risk to communities that are either occurring or may imminently occur; the risk may be a substantial number of fatalities or disability
public health system
a network of institutions, agencies, organizations, and resources that collaborate to promote, protect, and improve the health of populations and communities
quaternary prevention
actions and decisions that protect overmedicalization of clients; protecting clients from interventions that might cause more harm than good
secondary prevention
initiatives implemented to detect diseases or health conditions early on in their course so they can be diagnosed early and promptly treated to stop or slow progression and minimize impact; screening is the primary activity in secondary prevention
tertiary prevention
initiatives that aim to lessen the negative impact of a health condition and prevent complications
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