Running head: E-FOLIO 1

E-Folio: Essential VII

Margaret Anyiam
Frostburg State University













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E-Folio: Essential VII
According to Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health, nurses should pay
much attention to health promotion while focusing on disease and injury prevention strategies. It
is stated in the Standard that the effectiveness of clinical prevention directly depends on effective
collaboration between the health care professionals, nurses, and the population. To promote the
health care services effectively, nurses should concentrate on the factors which influence the
populations health such as lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors. It is noted in Essential
VII that nurses assistance to the community is closely connected with principles of population-
focused nursing when nurses work to prevent health problems and promote the health behaviors
referring to the epidemiological studies (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008, p.
24).
Exemplar
The assignment based on the provision of the prevalence and epidemiological rates
related to the health of the communitys population can be discussed as the most appropriate
example to discuss the role of epidemiological studies in clinical prevention activities (Allender,
Rector, & Warner, 2014, p. 54). The assignment based on the case study is selected because it
demonstrates how nurses can use important data on influenza rates, injury rates, and attack rates
in the communitys school to develop prevention strategies thereby contributing to the
improvement of childrens health in the community (American Psychological Association, 2010;
Bell, 2001, p. 69; Meister, Heath, Andrews, & Tingen, 2002, p. 177; Oermann, 2002, p. 73).
Reflection
The case study assignment is the most effective example to analyze the principles
presented in Essential VII in relation to the population and nurses activities. As it is stated in the
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Standard, nurses should be able to develop prevention strategies and to contribute to minimizing
negative health consequences while focusing on the prevalence and disease rates typical for the
community.




















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References
Allender, J. A., Rector, C., & Warner, K. D. (2014). Community health nursing: Promoting and
protecting the publics health. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education
for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education/pdf/BaccEssentials08.pdf
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association. Washington DC: Author.
Bell, S. (2001). Professional nurses portfolio. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 25(2), 69-73.
Meister, L., Heath, J., Andrews, J., & Tingen, M. S. (2002). Professional nursing portfolios: A
global perspective. MEDSURG Nursing, 11(4), 177-182.
Oermann, M. (2002). Developing a professional portfolio in nursing. Orthopaedic Nursing,
21(2), 73-77.










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Case Study #1 (Exemplar)
Question # 1: Using common epidemiology rate answer the following questions.
A) What is the prevalence rate for absence due to flu in each of the three schools?
Answer: Prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the number of occurrences of a health
indicator during a specified time period by the size of the population in which the health
indicator occurs. The result is expressed in percentages (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2012).
Prevalence=
persons with a given health indicator during a specified time period
population during the same time period
X 100
Total number of students in school A= 26
Total number of students absent in school A in the month of February=13
Therefore prevalence rate for school A=13 divided by 26 multiply by 100 (13/26)X100 =50%
Total number of students in school B= 24
Total number of students absent in school B in the month of February=6
Therefore prevalence rate for school B=6 divided by 24 multiply by 100 (6/24)X100 =25%
Total number of students in school C= 30
Total number of students absent in school C in the month of February=13
Therefore prevalence rate for school C=13 divide by 30 multiply by 100 (13/30)X100 =43.3%
Total number of students in school A,B,C= 26+24+30=80
Total number of students absent in school A,B,C in the month of February=13+6+13=32
Therefore prevalence rate for school A,B,C within the month of February =32 divided by 80
multiply by 100 (32/80)X100 =40%
B) What is the incidence rate in all schools during week 2?
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Answer: Incidence refers to the occurrence of new cases of disease or injury in a population over
a specified period of time. Although some epidemiologists use incidence to mean the number of
new cases in a community, others use incidence to mean the number of new cases per unit of
population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).
Incidence=
Number of persons developing a disease during specific time period
Total number at risk per unit of time
X 100
Total number of students absent in week 2 due to flu in schools A,B,C= 4+2+5= (11)
Total number of students in schools A,B,C = 26+24+30=(80)
Therefore incidence rate for all schools during week 2=11 divided by 80 multiply by 100
(11/80)X100 =13.75%
C) Incidence rate for school b for week 3 and 4
Total number of students absent in week 3 due to flu in schools B= 2
Total number of students in school B= 24
Incidence rate for school B during week 3=2 divided by 24 multiply by 100 (2/24)X100
=8.33%
Total number of students absent in week 4 due to flu in schools B= 1
Total number of students in school B= 24
Incidence rate for school B during week 4=1 divided by 24 multiply by 100 (1/24)X100
=4.2%
Therefore total incidence rate for school B during week 3 and 4= 8.33+4.2= (12.5%)
D) What is the attack rate for the 3 classes during the month of February?

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Prevalence=
Number of new cases of disease during specified time interval
population at start of time of interval
X 100
Therefore attack rate for classes A,B,C during the month of February = totals percentage
number of students absent in weeks 1,2,3,4 in classes A,B,C divided by total number of students
in classes A,B,C. i.e. 32 divided by 80 multiply by 100 (32/80)X100 =40%.
2) Identify the steps in an epidemiological research process and identify information she
might find to account for the difference?
Answer: Steps in epidemiological research are outlined as follows.
1. Identifying the problem which is flu outbreak and absenteeism of school age children in
Newtown is the first major step in any research process.
2. Critical review of existing evidence based literature to find out what is known about the
problem and also to make sure the question has not already been answered. local health
authorities and experts in that area of study can also be contacted. In addition to revealing what is
already known about the question, this will help the investigator to become familiar with
problems other researchers have faced when using various study methods.
3. Design the study for the problem, once all relevant questions have been answered.
4. Collect data from the schools or district school board on total number of students in schools
A,B,C and also data on who have been absent from theses schools as a result of flu. Also
relevant information on student who received a flu shot during the winter season will also be
helpful as this might be a reason why school B has a lower prevalence of flu related absences
compared to the other two schools.
5. Analyze the findings from the data gathered.
6. Develop conclusions and applications using the result of the study.
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7. Disseminate the findings to the district school board, sponsors if any and the public health
authorities (Allender, Warner, Rector, & Allender, 2014)
3) Identify specific actions the school nurse should take at the primary level of prevention
to prevent similar outbreak this coming winter?
Answer: Primary prevention aims to prevent the disease from occurring. So primary prevention
reduces both the incidence and prevalence of a disease(Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2007). Some of the actions the nurse can take include.
1. Creating awareness in the community on the need to take a flu shot to prevent them from
getting the flu.
2. The school nurse can also educate the members of the community on the need to protect
themselves by covering up and wearing appropriate clothing during the winter season as this will
help to reduce the incidence and prevalence of flu
3. Advocating for members of the community by requesting the local health authority to create
assessable flu shot clinics that open at flexible time schedules to accommodate members of the
community so that those interested can be able to get the shot not withstanding their busy life
schedule.







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References
Allender, J.A., Rector, C., & Warner, K.D. (2014). Community health nursing: Promoting and
protecting the publics health (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and
Wilkins
Levels of Disease Prevention. (2007, April 24). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/excite/skincancer/mod13.htm
Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, Third Edition An Introduction to Applied
Epidemiology and Biostatistics. (2012, May 18). Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved April 26, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/osels/scientific_edu/SS1978/Lesson3/index.html