How do we measure health and wellbeing? A person’s health is affected by many factors, including genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment. Experiencing good health, happiness, positive relationships and purpose contribute to our overall well-being. Gauging personal health is often a private experience between an individual, their loved ones and healthcare providers.
Caring for patients as individuals, one patient at a time, has been my experience for most of my career. As a clinical nurse, I developed assessment and advocacy skills that helped my patients measure their personal health and wellbeing. My role as a public health nurse is different: My patient is a community rather than an individual. That community can be a family or a school or a county.
When I think about community health, I think about how to define it. How do we measure the health and well-being of a community? What does community health mean to us as individuals and families? Can we improve it?
