Public Health Nursing Practice Exam

Which principle is NOT included in the eight principles identified by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing?

1. Engagement with clients as an equal partner.

2. Priority emphasis on primary prevention.

3. Individual care as the basis of practice.

4. Optimal use of available resources.

The correct answer is: Individual care as the basis of practice.

The principle that emphasizes "individual care as the basis of practice" is not one of the eight principles identified by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing. The Quad Council focuses primarily on population health and the broader social determinants of health rather than on individualized care. In public health nursing, the approach is centered on working with communities and populations to promote health and prevent disease, rather than concentrating solely on individual patient care. This is reflected in the other principles, such as engaging clients as equal partners, prioritizing primary prevention, and optimizing resource use, which all align with the goal of improving health outcomes on a larger scale rather than through one-on-one interactions. Therefore, the correct answer highlights a fundamental difference in focus between public health nursing principles and traditional nursing practices centered on individual care.