The city health department director asks the community health nurse to make a presentation describing the greatest health concern facing the city. How should the nurse begin to collect the data needed for this presentation?

A) Review morbidity data for the city's population compiled by the Bureau of Vital Statistics:
This is the most comprehensive and reliable method for identifying the greatest health concern facing the city. Morbidity data provides statistical information on the incidence and prevalence of diseases and health conditions within the population, helping to identify major health issues based on objective data.

B) Conduct a random telephone survey to determine the public's perception about health problems:
While public perception is valuable, it may not accurately reflect the actual health concerns based on prevalence or incidence data. Public surveys can provide insights into perceived issues but are not as reliable for identifying the most pressing health concerns as concrete morbidity data.

C) Call American Medical Association members to determine the most frequently treated diagnoses:
This method might provide insights from a medical perspective but does not offer a complete picture of the health concerns across the entire population. It may also miss out on data from other healthcare providers and public health reports.

D) Survey major hospitals in the area to determine the most common reasons for admissions:
Although hospital admission data is useful, it represents only part of the health picture and may not capture all relevant health concerns in the community. It also does not include outpatient or preventive care data, which are important for a comprehensive health assessment.

A. Review the previous school nurse's anecdotal documents:
While reviewing past documents may provide some context or historical insights, anecdotal evidence is subjective and may not offer a comprehensive or objective validation of current findings.

B. Obtain morbidity and mortality data for the geographic area:
Morbidity and mortality data offer objective, quantifiable information about health conditions and outcomes in the community. This data helps validate and supplement the observations from a windshield survey by providing concrete evidence on health trends, disease prevalence, and outcomes in the area.

C. Talk with teachers about their concerns for the students:
Teachers’ perspectives can provide valuable insights into student health and well-being, but this method is subjective and may not provide the objective validation needed to corroborate findings from a windshield survey.

D. Discuss with the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) board about their perception of school events:
The PTA board’s perceptions can offer useful information about community and school events, but their feedback is subjective and may not provide the objective data needed to validate the findings of a windshield survey.