Windshield Survey
Maggie Siler
Ferris State University

Windshield Survey
Community assessment is crucial to planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs to improve the health of a population. A windshield survey is an informal method used by community health nurses to obtain basic knowledge about a given community. It provides a subjective view of the various physical characteristics of a communal area as observed while driving or walking through a neighborhood.
Community
Community assessment is an essential function of community nursing. Understanding the various types of community will help clarify the process. The first type of community described is a “geopolitical community” (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 177). It is an aggregate of people living or working in a defined geographic area. The second is “phenomenological community” (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 177), which is a collection of people sharing common interests, or philosophies and inter/intra personal connections.Borders for this type of community are not as clear as a geopolitical community. A phenomenological community can exist within a geopolitical community. An example of this is the homeless. The third is a broader view, encompassing a society, a nation, or the international community of the world as we know it.
Community Health
Community health is usually focused on a specific geographic region. In this way, specific epidemiological data can be obtained, and a precise community “report card” (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 181) can be created. From there specific interventions, including measurable goals can be plannedto address specific risks identified in the community.

Community as client
Community as a client requires collaborative practice among nurses, epidemiologists, genetic counselors, and social workers (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 180), among