Childhood Morbidity and Mortality: Strengthening Community Nursing Practices To Improve Child Health — A Comprehensive Review
Keywords:
Childhood morbidity; Childhood mortality; Community nursing; Child health; Under-five mortality; Primary healthcare; Preventive care; Community health nurses; Pediatric nursing; Health education; Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI); Immunization; Growth monitoring; Child nutrition; Evidence-based nursing; Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.2).Abstract
Childhood morbidity and mortality remain critical global public health challenges, reflecting systemic disparities in healthcare access, socioeconomic stability, and healthcare infrastructure. Despite substantial global progress in reducing under-five mortality over recent decades, infectious diseases, neonatal complications, malnutrition, and emerging environmental hazards continue to threaten child survival, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and medically underserved pockets of high-income nations.
Community nursing practice stands at the forefront of primary health care delivery, serving as a vital bridge between formal health systems and vulnerable households. Community health nurses, public health nurses, and health visitors operate at the intersection of clinical intervention, preventive care, health education, and advocacy.
This comprehensive review critically examines the current global epidemiology of childhood morbidity and mortality, evaluates the multi-faceted role of community nursing practices in mitigating these outcomes, identifies persistent challenges in community-level service delivery, and outlines evidence-based strategies to strengthen nursing capacity, inter-professional collaboration, and policy frameworks. By synthesizing contemporary literature, this paper underscores the imperative to resource, train, and empower community nurses as a primary mechanism to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 and secure equitable child health outcomes globally.
