The population health nurse is visiting the home of a family ...

[WhattoUnderstand]

The population health nurse is visiting the home of a family whose youngest child developed chickenpox after being exposed to a classmate with the same disease. Of which criterion for establishing a causal relationship is this situation an example?
 
  1. Frequency.
  2. Consistency.
  3. Absolute risk.
  4. Susceptibility.

Question 2

A patient diagnosed with a terminal illness asks why the disease developed when others who have less healthy lifestyle habits enjoy good health. Which theory of disease causation should the nurse use when responding to this patient's enquiry?
 
  1. Environment.
  2. Divine intervention.
  3. Single cause theory.
  4. Multiple cause theory.

[alvinum]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 2
Explanation: 2. Consistency is the first criterion for establishing a causal relationship. This consistency must be between the supposed causal factor and its presumed effect. The condition in question must occur when the factor is present, not when it is absent. Frequency is not a criterion for establishing a causal relationship. Absolute risk is the probability that anyone in a given population will develop a particular condition. Susceptibility is the ability to be affected by factors contributing to a particular health condition.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 4
Explanation: 4. The discovery of specific agents responsible for particular diseases did not explain why some people exposed to an agent developed the disease, while others did not. The result of this explanatory failure was the movement into the current era of multiple causation or the ecosocial perspective. The era of multiple causation is characterized by the recognition that multiple factors interact in the development of health or illness in a given person or population and that there is seldom one single cause. During Hippocrates' time, the primary belief of disease was from harmful substances in the environment. During the religious era disease was thought to be caused directly or indirectly by divine intervention, possibly as punishment for sins or as a trial of faith. During the bacteriologic era specific organisms were identified as causative agents for specific diseases.