Title: “Integrating Environmental Health into Community Health: A Case Study on the Role of Nurses in Promoting Upstream Approaches and the Precautionary Principle”

Case Study
Chapter 9 – Environment Health and Safety
Nurses are charged to incorporate knowledge of the
environment into their nursing practice. Nurses are
essential to improve environmental health through
nursing education, research, and practice. A public
health nurse incorporates an “upstream” focus in the
community health position working with the community
population. The community health nurse must consider
the precautionary principle in the upstream focus. The
nurse has to consider how the core functions of public
health will be applied.
1. What strategic actions does the community
health nurse need to consider as part of the
upstream framework?
2. The community health nurse is using the
precautionary principle in the upstream
framework in the community. What is the
precautionary principle and how is it applied to
public health and the core functions?
3. The core functions of public health can be
applied to public health nursing. What are the
core functions of public health?