BSN Community and Public Health Nursing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which level of prevention is the nurse performing when administering the influenza vaccine to a healthy adult in a community clinic?
- Primary prevention (Correct answer)
- Secondary prevention
- Tertiary prevention
- Quaternary prevention
Correct answer: Primary prevention
Primary prevention aims to prevent disease before it occurs; immunization is a classic primary prevention strategy.
Question 2: A community health nurse is performing a home visit for an elderly patient living alone. Which finding most strongly indicates elder abuse?
- Multiple bruises in various stages of healing with inconsistent explanations (Correct answer)
- Mild forgetfulness and difficulty balancing a checkbook
- A cluttered home environment with limited mobility aids
- Reports of loneliness and occasional sadness
Correct answer: Multiple bruises in various stages of healing with inconsistent explanations
Unexplained bruising in various stages of healing is a hallmark physical sign of elder abuse and mandates reporting to adult protective services.
Question 3: A public health nurse is investigating an outbreak of foodborne illness at a community gathering. What is the nurse's first priority in outbreak investigation?
- Identify and remove the source of contamination to prevent further cases (Correct answer)
- Treat all individuals who are currently ill
- Notify the media to warn the community
- Complete all required paperwork and submit to the health department
Correct answer: Identify and remove the source of contamination to prevent further cases
Identifying and eliminating the source of contamination is the primary goal of outbreak investigation to prevent additional cases.
Question 4: A nurse working in a community health center uses the epidemiological triad to analyze the spread of tuberculosis. Which component of the triad represents Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
- Agent (Correct answer)
- Host
- Environment
- Vector
Correct answer: Agent
In the epidemiological triad, the agent is the causative organism—in this case, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Question 5: A school nurse discovers that a student has head lice (pediculosis capitis). According to current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, when should the student be allowed to return to school?
- After treatment is initiated—there is no need to exclude the student (Correct answer)
- After all live lice and nits are completely absent
- After 48 hours of isolation at home
- Only after a physician clears the student for return
Correct answer: After treatment is initiated—there is no need to exclude the student
Current AAP guidelines recommend against 'no-nit' policies; students should return after treatment begins because head lice pose minimal health risk and exclusion causes missed school days.
Question 6: A community health nurse is teaching a group of adults about colorectal cancer screening. According to the American Cancer Society guidelines, at what age should average-risk adults begin colorectal cancer screening?
- 45 years (Correct answer)
- 50 years
- 40 years
- 55 years
Correct answer: 45 years
The American Cancer Society updated its guidelines in 2018 to recommend that average-risk adults begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45.
BSN Community and Public Health Nursing 1
Which level of prevention is the nurse performing when administering the influenza vaccine to a healthy adult in a community clinic?