Community Health Nursing Practice Exam

When using the epidemiologic triad model in community health care, what should the nurse address?

1. Incidence, prevalence, and case fatality.

2. Health, illness, and injury.

3. Host, agent, and environment.

4. Immunity, causation, and risk.

The correct answer is: Host, agent, and environment.

In community health care, using the epidemiologic triad model involves addressing three critical components: host, agent, and environment. This model is foundational in understanding how diseases develop and spread within populations. The host refers to the individual or population that could potentially be affected by a disease, including their characteristics such as genetics, behavior, and overall health status. The agent is the factor that causes disease, which could be biological, chemical, or physical. Finally, the environment encompasses all external factors that facilitate or hinder the occurrence of disease, such as socio-economic conditions, climate, and living conditions. By focusing on the interplay among these three elements, nurses can effectively identify and implement interventions that address the root causes of health issues in the community. This comprehensive approach is essential for preventing disease and promoting health, as it allows for a nuanced understanding of how interventions can be tailored to the specific dynamics of the community. Other options, while relevant in different contexts, do not encapsulate the holistic framework provided by the epidemiologic triad. Incidence, prevalence, and case fatality are metrics used in epidemiology but do not define the relationship between the host, agent, and environment. Health, illness, and injury focus on outcomes rather than the interacting components contributing to