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Population-focused nursing practice is different from clinical nursing care delivered in the community in a few key ways. First, population-focused nursing practice focuses on the health of populations, rather than individuals. This means that public health nurses need to be able to think about the health of groups of people, rather than just the health of one person at a time.

Second, population-focused nursing practice is more preventive in nature. Public health nurses focus on preventing health problems before they occur, rather than treating health problems after they have occurred. This means that public health nurses need to be skilled in identifying risk factors for health problems and developing interventions to reduce those risk factors.

Finally, population-focused nursing practice is more policy-oriented. Public health nurses work to influence policies that affect the health of populations. This means that public health nurses need to be skilled in advocacy and policy development.

Here are some examples of how public health nurses might use the three core functions in their work:

• A public health nurse might assess the health needs of a community by collecting data on things like rates of chronic diseases, access to healthy food, and housing conditions.
• A public health nurse might work to develop a policy that requires all schools to offer healthy school lunches.
• A public health nurse might assure the quality of care at a community health clinic by conducting quality improvement initiatives and providing education and training to the clinic staff.

Public health nurses play a vital role in promoting and protecting the health of populations. By using the three core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance, public health nurses can make a real difference in the health of the communities they serve.