This revised edition of Vlok’s Community Health for Southern Africa is a core text for the community health professional. Comprehensive in nature, it meets the requirements of the updated nursing qualifications and is written by a team of specialists from a broad range of disciplines, with an emphasis on the practical application of theoretical concepts.

Topics covered include public health, environmental health, community-oriented primary care and the role of the community nurse, as well as the care of the individual throughout their lifespan. The practical aspects of the text extend to chapters on managing community clinics and caring for the disabled at home, and are rich in informative examples and suggestions. The text travels easily from the classroom to the practitioner’s office, making it the community manual of choice.

New to this edition:

• Content has been aligned to new legislative requirements

• Appropriate responses to COVID-19 are integrated throughout chapters

• References to ward-based outreach teams (WBOTs) are included

• Obstetric care in the community has been expanded

• The WHO’s mhGAP Intervention Guide in clinical mental health decision-making has been included

• Application of the interprofessional care framework (ICF) has been incorporated

• Alignment of non-communicable disease (NCD) chapter to the latest governmental policies

About the Editor

Professor Marina Clarke studied at Carinus Nursing College, Bloemfontein, the University of South Africa, Rand Afrikaans University and Karolinska (Sweden). She has 30 years of community nursing experience and previously headed the divisions of Nursing at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and at Stellenbosch University.

Introduction 

Worldviews and health-seeking behaviour 

How to take a clinical history

Table of acronyms/abbreviations

Chapter 1: Public health

Chapter 2: Community-oriented primary care

Chapter 3: Roles and responsibilities of the community/public health nurse

Chapter 4: Management of a healthcare clinic

Chapter 5: Measuring the health status in a community

Chapter 6: Nutrition

Chapter 7: Health promotion: Co-creating enabling environments for improved health and wellbeing

Chapter 8: Communicable diseases

Chapter 9: Non-communicable diseases

Chapter 10: Occupational health and safety

Chapter 11: Medical genetics

Chapter 12: Obstetric care in the community for the non-specialist

Chapter 13: Child health

Chapter 14: School nursing and adolescent health

Chapter 15: Reproductive health

Chapter 16: Men’s health

Chapter 17: Gerontology in community nursing

Chapter 18: Disability and management of disability within the primary healthcare setting

Chapter 19: Community mental healthcare

Chapter 20: Family influences on psychopathology

Chapter 21: Intimate partner violence: The hidden pandemic

Chapter 22: Introduction to environmental health

Chapter 23: Environmental hygiene: Food and water

Chapter 24: Environmental health: Housing, air quality and waste management

Index

Suitable for use in any of the following courses: Enrolled Nurse, Staff Nurse, Professional Nurse. Vlok’s Community Health is recommended for any health professional working in the community.