Public Health Nursing Practice Exam

What is the focus of a nurse utilizing a disease-oriented approach?

1. Promote a greater level of positive health

2. Teach about common disease processes

3. Provide acute care management of chronic disease

4. Direct care toward disease prevention

The correct answer is: Direct care toward disease prevention

The focus of a nurse utilizing a disease-oriented approach primarily revolves around managing and mitigating the effects of diseases within patient populations. This approach emphasizes understanding the pathology and progression of diseases, which informs interventions aimed at preventing complications, reducing incidence, and managing existing health conditions. By concentrating on disease prevention, nurses can identify risk factors and educate patients about lifestyle modifications and screening practices that can lower the likelihood of developing chronic conditions. This proactive stance is integral to public health nursing, where the goal is to enhance overall community health by preventing rather than merely treating the effects of health issues. While the other options touch on important nursing roles, they do not encapsulate the overarching priority of a disease-oriented approach in the same way. Teaching about common disease processes and providing acute care management of chronic disease are components of nursing care but are not exclusively focused on prevention. Promoting a greater level of positive health certainly aligns with nursing goals as well but extends beyond the specific framework of a disease-oriented approach.