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NUR 2680L: Community Needs Assessment Paper: Community Data

Resources for the NUR-2680L QEP paper, the Community Needs Assessment.

NUR2680L

Section Requirements

In this section, you will report your windshield survey and research findings by accounting for the three community assessment components:

  • People
  • Environment
  • Social Systems

People

Discuss the community’s demographics, social factors, and cultural factors:

  • Demographic: distribution, mobility, density
  • Biological: race, age, sex, causes of death
  • Social: occupation, marital status, education, income, crime rates, recreation
  • Cultural: hierarchy and roles, language, religion

Questions to keep in mind while behind the windshield:

  1. Who is on the street?
  2. What is their general appearance (age, dress, well-nourished, obese, frail, unkempt)?
  3. What are they doing?
  4. What is the origin, ethnicity, or race of the people?
  5. How are the different groups residentially located?
  6. Is there any evidence of substance abuse, violence, disease, mental illness?
  7. Are there any animals or pets in the community?

Environment

Discuss the physical and environmental factors that affect health:

  • Physical factors: Geography, terrain, type of community, location of health services, housing, animal control
  • Environmental factors: Geography, climate, flora, fauna, topography, toxic substances, vectors, pollutants

Questions to keep in mind while behind the windshield:

  1. What are the community's boundaries? Are they natural or manmade?
  2. Where are the major health facilities located?
  3. Are there any necessary healthcare facilities that are NOT within the community?
  4. Are there any geographic features that can harm the community?
  5. Are there plants or animals that could harm or threaten the health of the community?
  6. What industries are within the community?
  7. Could the environment or industry pose a threat to the health of the community workers or the community itself?
  8. Are the roads adequate and marked well?
  9. What types of employment exist?
  10. Are there grocery stores that provide fresh food, or is this community a food desert?
  11. Is the housing of acceptable quality?
  12. Are there single or multifamily dwellings?

Social Systems

Discuss the public infrastructure and its level of maintenance:

  • Health systems
  • Economic systems or factors
  • Education systems
  • Religious systems
  • Welfare and social safety nets
  • Political systems
  • Recreation systems/factors
  • Legal systems
  • Communication systems/factors
  • Legal systems
  • Communication systems/factors
  • Transportation services

Questions to keep in mind while behind then windshield:

  1. Are there social services, clinics, hospitals, dentists, and other health care providers available within the community?
  2. Are there ample schools within the community? Are they in good repair?
  3. Are there parks, playgrounds, gardens, museums, and other areas for recreation?
  4. What places of worship are within the community?
  5. What services do the local religious organizations, schools, community centers, recreation centers, etc. provide to the community?
  6. Is there public transportation? Is it accessible and in good repair?
  7. What grocery stores or other stores are within the community?
  8. Is public protection evident (police, fire, emergency medical services, animal control)?