❂The seventh edition of Community Health Nursing:
Promoting and Protecting the Public’s Health continues in
the tradition of the previous editions of this text, beginning
with Barbara Spradley’s initial publication in 1981.
The purpose of this textbook is to introduce undergraduate
nursing students to the stimulating world of nursing
outside the acute care setting—whether at a public health
department, community health agency, school, or other
setting. We hope to share our enthusiasm and devotion to
this population-focused, community-oriented form of
nursing. Compared with acute care nurses, those working
in public or community health are often more autonomous
and exert a greater influence on the overall health of their
communities by being political advocates for their clients
and aggregates.
This book is designed to give students a basic grounding
in the principles of public health nursing and introduce
them to key populations they may engage while working in
the community setting. Entry-level public health nurses may
also find it a helpful resource as they begin to familiarize
themselves with their unique practice settings and target
populations. The nexus of public health nursing lies in the
utilization of public health principles along with nursing
science and skills in order to promote health, prevent disease,
and protect at-risk populations. We use the term community
health nurse interchangeably with public health
nurse to describe the practitioner who does not simply “work
in the community” (physically located outside the hospital
setting, in the community), but rather one who has a focus
on nursing and public health science that informs their community-
based, population-focused nursing practice.