Community health nursing is described as a community-based practice. Which statement best explains this concept?

• A. The service is provided in the natural environment of people
• B. The nurse has to conduct community diagnosis to determine nursing needs and problems
• C. The services are based on the available resources within the community
• D. Priority setting is based on the magnitude of the health problems identified

Answer: (B)

Delivering nursing care in the places people actually live and go about daily life is the essence of community-based practice. The strongest way this is explained is that the nurse conducts a community diagnosis to determine nursing needs and problems. By gathering data on health status, risk factors, resources, and social determinants, the nurse identifies which issues are most pressing for the community. This understanding then guides where and how care is delivered in the community, ensuring interventions match the community’s actual needs.

While care occurring in the home or other natural settings is a feature of community-based practice, that alone doesn’t explain how services are planned and directed. Focusing on available resources or prioritizing by magnitude are important steps in planning, but they don’t, by themselves, capture the core idea of assessing the community to determine what nursing problems to address and how to tailor care accordingly.