Population Health and Epidemiology Then and Now
Population Health and Epidemiology Then and Now
History shows that many pioneers of nursing provide population-based care. A critical example was Florence Nightingale, who proved during her era that unsanitary conditions are dangerous to health. She provided favorable environmental conditions for the wounded soldiers by cleaning their wounds and allowing nature to heal wounds. Another example was Mary Breckinridge, who focused on improving people’s lives in her community. She served women and children who were living in rural communities. She applied principles of epidemiology to ensure a decrease in maternal and child mortality.
Enduring Impact of Nursing Pioneers
According to Curley et al. (2025, p. 1), Florence Nightingale and Mary Breckinridge were compassionate about caring for their communities and showed their love through caring. They were involved in an advocacy campaign for the population they cared about. Also, they utilized statistics, a form of evidence, to convince political leaders of the need to buy into their designed methods of caring. Ms. Nightingale was recognized as a gifted mathematician and statistician (Friis & Sellers, 2021, p. 34). The principles they used made them outstanding and successful. Nurses and epidemiologists who want successful careers still utilize their enduring legacies today.
Contemporary Roles of Nurses in Advancing Population Health
In contemporary times, public health nurses’ duties encompassed the assessment of populations to monitor disease progression or changes in health. They can determine the scope of the problems and the extent of available resources. They must also use epidemiological knowledge and determine the best available evidence relevant to the issues at hand. In addition, they can specify the areas of need and evaluate the impact of programs on the population. In public health nursing, success can be recorded when nurses use key attributes derived from nursing pioneers, including love, compassion, a caring attitude, educating the public, and utilizing evidence to support clinical decision-making and advocacy. Nurses who diligently play these roles can create awareness about causal factors for infectious and non-infectious health problems and lead their communities toward enduring health.
References
Curley, A. L. C., Niedz, B. A., & Erikson, A. E. (2025). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice (4th ed.). Springer.
Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2021). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
Reply to post from Samson Ajibola OmowumiReply
[7:59 AM, 2/25/2025] henrykuto: 200 words or more
[8:00 AM, 2/25/2025] Hila Nurs: Sawa
[8:05 AM, 2/25/2025] henrykuto: ALLEGORY OF THE ORCHARD
The Allegory of the Orchard presents barriers and challenges of underserved, vulnerable, or marginalized populations and communities. These barriers and challenges highlight the importance of understanding the impact of political determinants of health on such groups. This allegory encourages an identification, understanding, analysis, and response to these factors as members of the healthcare community.
For this Discussion, consider the role of the political determinants of health on underserved, vulnerable, or marginalized populations and communities. How might advocates address the health disparities to promote equity and access to high quality healthcare?
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