Guidelines for Caring for Populations Milestone 1:
PURPOSE
The purpose of this assignment is to complete a direct observational assessment of a community in your area. This windshield survey will be the initial step in uncovering a community health problem in your area and identifying community dynamics. This problem will be further assessed in the following two assignments.
COURSE OUTCOMES
This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes.
CO2: Assess the health needs of individuals, families, aggregates, and communities using demographic and epidemiological data to identify population health risks. (PO 4)
DUE DATE
Submit to the appropriate basket in the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. MT Sunday of Week 2.
POINTS: 150 points
DIRECTIONS
1. Download the NR443 Community Windshield Survey form from Doc Sharing. You will type your name and answers directly onto this Word document. Your form does not need to follow APA formatting; however, you are expected to use a professional writing style with complete sentences, accurate grammar, and correct spelling. If references are used, they must be cited in the text and the complete reference should be included in the reference box in APA format. References are optional.
2. Watch Caring for Populations project overview and Milestone 1 tutorial by clicking this link. This tutorial is also available on Course Project page under Course Home as well as Week 2 Assignments page.
3. Save the file by clicking Save as and adding your last name to the file name; for example, NR443 Windshield Survey Form_Smith.
4. Submit the completed form to the Caring for Populations: Community Windshield Survey Dropbox
5. Length: The completed form should be three to four pages in length (not including any optional references).GUIDELINES
Below are the requirements needed for successful completion of the Windshield Survey Form.
1. Introduction to the Community: Identify the community you will be using for this assignment with the city and state and provide a brief one paragraph description of the community. Your community should be the area where you live or the area surrounding your work setting. The community must include a residential area and be broad enough to answer the survey questions. You do not need demographic data.
2. Windshield Survey: Assess your community by doing a windshield survey. Information about the components of a windshield survey is located in your textbook, Nies & McEwen (2015) on page 98 (Box 6-2). Drive through the area and report your observations by describing each of the following six areas using a majority of the questions from each category of Box 6-2 as your guide (one to two in depth paragraphs for each category). Be sure to include what you observed related to each of these categories, and also include any significant items that are missing in your community because this may be equally important in identifying a community health problem.
a. Community vitality
b. Indicators of social and economic conditions
c. Health resources
d. Environmental conditions related to health
e. Social functioning
f. Attitude toward healthcare
Note: It is helpful to conduct this assessment at least two different times: during the day or evening, on a weekday and/or on the weekend. If possible, plan on asking someone to drive during your survey so that you can take notes.
3. Conclusion: Provide a summary of your findings. Describe significant community health problems based on your observations. The information gathered during the windshield survey should assist you to identify community health problems that will be further assessed in the next assignment.
4. References: The purpose of this assignment is to document your observations of your community. Outside sources are not required. However, if sources are used, these sources must be cited within the form (Author, year) and listed in the reference section in APA format (see APA category in Course Resources for help with formatting).
BEST PRACTICES IN COMPLETING THE FORM
The following are best practices in preparing this project.
Make sure all elements of the form are included.
Review directions and grading rubric below thoroughly.
Cite any outside references as above (these are optional).
Use a professional writing style with complete sentences.
Proofread prior to final submission.
Check for spelling and grammar errors prior to final submission.
Abide by the Chamberlain academic integrity policy.Directions: Please refer to the Milestone 1: Community Windshield Survey Guidelines and grading rubric for specific instructions in order to complete the information below. This assignment is worth 150 points.
Type your name, date, and observations directly on this form. Click Save as and save the file with the assignment name and your last name; for example, NR443 Windshield Survey Form_Smith. When you are finished, submit the form to the Week 2 Caring for Populations: Windshield Survey Dropbox by the deadline indicated in your guidelines.
Your Name: Date:
Criteria Your response
1. Introduction of Community (20 points)
Identify the city and state of your community and briefly describe the community you will be using for this assignment. It should be the area where you live or the area surrounding your work setting but must include a residential area. Demographic data are not needed.
2. Windshield Survey (100 points)
a. Vitality: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the community vitality.
b. Indicators of social and economic conditions: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the social and economic conditions.
c. Health Resources: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the health resources.
d. Environmental conditions related to health: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the environmental conditions.
e. Social functioning: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the social functioning.
f. Attitude toward healthcare: Use a majority of the questions from Box 6-2 in your text to describe your observations about the attitudes toward healthcare.
3. Conclusion: (20 pts)
Provide a summary of your findings and your conclusion. What problems did you identify?
4. References:
optional: List in APA format any references that you used. If you include any references here, you must also include an in-text citation (author, year).BOX 6-2 QUESTIONS TO GUIDE COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS DURING A WINDSHIELD SURVEY1. Community vitality:
Are people visible in the community? What are they doing?
Who are the people living in the neighborhood? What is their age range? What is the predominant age (e.g., elderly, preschoolers, young mothers, or school-aged children)?
What ethnicity or race is most common?
What is the general appearance of those you observed? Do they appear healthy? Do you notice any people with obvious disabilities, such as those using walkers or wheelchairs, or those with mental or emotional disabilities? Where do they live?
Do you notice residents who are well nourished or malnourished, thin or obese, vigorous or frail, unkempt or scantily dressed, or well dressed and clean?
Do you notice tourists or visitors to the community?
Do you observe any people who appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol?
Do you see any pregnant women? Do you see women with strollers and young children?
2. Indicators of social and economic conditions:
What is the general condition of the homes you observe? Are these single-family homes or multifamily structures? Is there any evidence of dilapidated housing or of areas undergoing urban renewal? Is there public housing? What is its condition?
What forms of transportation do people seem to be using? Is there public transit? Are there adequate bus stops with benches and shade? Is transportation to health care resources available?
Are there any indicators of the kinds of work available to residents? Are there job opportunities nearby, such as factories, small businesses, or military installations? Are there unemployed people visible, such as homeless people?
Do you see men congregating in groups on the street? What do they look like, and what are they doing?
Is this a rural area? Are there farms or agricultural businesses?
Do you note any seasonal workers, such as migrant or day laborers?
Do you see any women hanging out along the streets? What are they doing?
Do you observe any children or adolescents out of school during the daytime?
Do you observe any interest in political campaigns or issues, such as campaign signs?
Do you see any evidence of health education on billboards, advertisements, signs, radio stations, or television stations? Do these methods seem appropriate for the people you observed?
What kinds of schools and day care centers are available?
3. Health resources:
Do you notice any hospitals? What kind are they? Where are they located?
Are there any clinics? Whom do they serve? Are there any family planning services?
Are there doctors and dentists offices? Are they specialists or generalists?
Do you notice any nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, alcohol or drug treatment centers, homeless or abused shelters, wellness clinics, health department facilities, urgent care centers, mobile health vehicles, blood donation centers, or pharmacies?
Are these resources appropriate and sufficient to address the kinds of problems that exist in this community?
4. Environmental conditions related to health:
Do you see evidence of anything that might make you suspicious of ground, water, or air pollutants?
What is the sanitary condition of the housing? Is housing overcrowded, dirty, or in need of repair? Are windows screened?
What is the condition of the roads? Are potholes present? Are drainage systems in place? Are there low water crossings, and do they have warning signals? Are there adequate traffic lights, signs, sidewalks, and curbs? Are railroad crossings fitted with warnings and barriers? Are streets and parking lots well lit? Is this a heavily trafficked area, or are roads rural? Are there curves or features that make the roads hazardous?
Is there handicapped access to buildings, sidewalks, and streets?
Do you observe recreational facilities and playgrounds? Are they being used? Is there a YMCA/YWCA or community center? Are there any day care facilities or preschools?
Are children playing in the streets, alleys, yards, or parks?
Do you see any restaurants?
Is food sold on the streets? Are people eating in public areas? Are there trash receptacles and places for people to sit? Are public restrooms available?
What evidence of any nuisances such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, or rodents do you observe? Are there stray animals wandering in the neighborhood?
5. Social functioning:
Do you observe any families in the neighborhoods? Can you observe their structure or functioning? Who is caring for the children? What kind of supervision do they have? Is more than one generation present?
Are there any identifiable subgroups related to one another either socially or geographically?
What evidence of a sense of neighborliness can you observe?
What evidence of community cohesiveness can you observe? Are there any group efforts in the neighborhood to improve the living conditions or the neighborhood? Is there a neighborhood watch? Do community groups post signs for neighborhood meetings?
How many and what type of churches, synagogues, and other places of worship are there?
Can you observe anything that would make you suspicious of social problems, such as gang activity, juvenile delinquency, drug or alcohol abuse, and adolescent pregnancy?
6. Attitude toward health and health care:
Do you observe any evidence of folk medicine practice, such as a botanical or herbal medicine shop? Are there any alternative medicine practitioners?
Do you observe that health resources are well utilized or underutilized?
Is there evidence of preventive or wellness care?
Do you observe any efforts to improve the neighborhoods health? Planned health fairs? Do you see advertisements for health-related events, clinics, or lectures?
Vital Statistics