Myrna Brenner Wacker, RN, MSN (ret.) Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

COURSEWARE: COMHEALTH-I^© is a computer assisted instructional (CAI) program designed to introduce students to the basic principles of Community. It consists of 13 lessons on a single IBM Windows Standard Browser Coimpact Disc. Supplemental material includes CAI tutor student handbooks, instructor guides with curriculum guidelines, and optional distance leaming materials.

EDUCATIONAL DESCRIPTION:

The theme of COMHEALTH•I^IQ is introductory concepts of community health. including current trends in health and health care, and community with some basic overviews of public health theory. This course is designed to inform students of the wide range of variables that impact the promotion of health and deliverance of health care to populations, families, and individuals.

COMHEALTH•I material defines and describes community and public health issues. It also includes lessons on:

• Epidemiology
• Health
• Health promotion
• Prevention/protection
• Risk reduction
• Influences of culture on health and health care
• Community health nursing roles
• Family as a unit of care
• Families at risk

Some of the topics discussed in these lessons are:

• Primary health care
• Epidemiological rates
• Epidemiological triangle
• Levels of prevention
• Holistic health
• Self-care
• Variables affecting health
• Health belief models
• Home visiting
• Case management
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• School mrrsing role
• Occupational health nursing role
• Nurse practitioner role
• Public health nursing role
• Home health nursing role
• Hospice nursing role
• Family theory
• Family nursing process
• Current trends in families

The role of the computer in COMHEALTH-l is to facilitate the learning process through active involvement by the student. The CAI presents information and then provides multiple choice decision points to test the student's understanding of the information presented. The program responds to incorrect choices at the decision points by providing correct information and sending the student back to choose again to reinforce the correct decision. It tests the student's ability to use lesson content in a contextual setting.

1. Originally written and updated in the 1990s, the Basic COMHEALTH-I was upgraded and updated beginning in 2006 with the splitting off detailed studies of Public Health topics as a natural progression. Information on Public Health issues were changed to reflect “overview lessons or segments within the course materials so that faculty could better concentrate on Community Health. New Public Health Health Courses were developed for Basic Public Health, Disease Control and Environmental Health for Undergraduates. Epidemiology was developed for both undergraduates or graduate level needs and Health Statistics was developed as a graduate level course. These courses, containing ten or more lesson modules for each topic are written by Dr. Otis Stanley and marketed and supported by A.S.K. Data Systems, Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri.

2. COMHEALTH-I evolved to its current structure and format to enable organizations and institutions to utilize it also as an independent study or continuing education self-contained course. An optional test booklet has been developed for competency verification to support this effort.

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