DNP 825 Topic 4 DQ 1: the largest global health concern
Largest is a measurable claim, so say by what measure — deaths, disability-adjusted life years, or preventability — because the answer changes depending on which you pick.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 15, 2026
Largest is a claim you have to defend with data
The word largest turns this into an argument, and the honest version of it starts by saying largest by what measure. Ranked by deaths, the leading causes in low-income countries now include neonatal conditions, lower respiratory infections, ischaemic heart disease and stroke — the epidemiological transition means non-communicable disease has risen while infectious disease has not gone away. Ranked by disability-adjusted life years the picture shifts toward conditions that disable young people. Ranked by preventability with existing tools, unsafe water and sanitation, undernutrition and vaccine-preventable disease come to the front. And a strong answer can reasonably nominate something upstream of all of them: health workforce shortage, or poverty itself, since a concern nobody can act on for lack of staff is not separable from the staffing. The epidemiological transition means non-communicable disease has risen sharply while infectious disease has not gone away. Rankings by cause of death and by years lived with disability disagree sharply.
Then the DNP question, which needs care. The honest answer is that an individual DNP-prepared nurse does not eradicate a global health concern, and pretending otherwise weakens the post. What the role can genuinely contribute is specific: strengthening workforce capacity through education rather than delivering care directly, since a visiting clinician treats a hundred patients while a trained local nurse treats thousands; translating evidence into protocols that work with the resources actually available rather than the ones a guideline assumes; building data and surveillance capability so a problem can be measured; and advocacy in the high-income countries whose trade, aid and migration policies shape the conditions. On first steps, keep them small and real — partner with an existing organisation rather than founding one, learn the context before proposing anything, and let local clinicians define the problem, since a first step that begins with your own assessment of what they need is the failure mode this literature documents most often.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Defend a superlative claim by naming the measure it rests on.
- 02Use global burden data rather than impressions.
- 03State a realistic contribution for an individual practitioner.
- 04Propose first steps that begin with local definition of the problem.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. 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I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. DNP 825 Topic 4 DQ 1 What do you see as the largest health concern affecting underdeveloped countries Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Name: Discussion Rubric Grid View List View Excellent 90–100 Good 80–89 Fair 70–79 Poor 0–69 Main Posting: Response to the Discussion question is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. 40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Thoroughly responds to the Discussion question(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three current credible sources. 35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to most of the Discussion question(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible references. 31 (31%) – 34 (34%) Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Cited with fewer than two credible references. 0 (0%) – 30 (30%) Does not respond to the Discussion question(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible references. Main Posting: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Main Posting: Timely and full participation 9 (9%) – 10 (10%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Posts main Discussion by due date. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Discussion by due date. First Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. First Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. First Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Second Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. Second Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Total Points: 100 Name: Discussion Rubric
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A named health concern with the measure that makes it largest.
- 02A comparison against at least one alternative candidate.
- 03The DNP's realistic contribution, stated specifically.
- 04First steps that are small, real and locally led.
The concern, the DNP role, then first steps
Largest by what measure
Name the metric and show how the ranking changes with it.
The concern
State your nomination and support it with burden data.
The DNP contribution
Set out capacity building, translation, measurement and advocacy.
First steps
Give small, local, partnership-based starting actions.
Global burden data rather than impressions
Recommended databases
- WHO Global Health Observatory
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
- PubMed Central
- CINAHL
Search sequence
- 1.Check current burden rankings before nominating anything.
- 2.Compare a deaths ranking against a disability-adjusted life year ranking.
- 3.Search health workforce density for the upstream candidate.
- 4.Find one account of a global health partnership that failed and read why.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Global Health Observatory
World Health Organization · 2025
The observatory that supplies burden figures, which is what turns a nomination into a defended claim.
- 02
Health and Well-Being
World Health Organization · 2025
Thematic burden data, useful for comparing candidate concerns on the same footing.
- 03
Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice
World Health Organization · 2010
Workforce capacity as a global priority, which supports the education-rather-than-delivery answer.
- 04
Constitution of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization · 2025
The definition of health the whole framing rests on, and the equity commitment behind the question.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Nominating a concern without saying by what measure it is largest.
- Assuming infectious disease dominates, which the transition data no longer supports.
- Claiming an individual DNP can eradicate a global concern.
- Proposing first steps that begin with founding an organisation.
- Defining the local problem from outside.
Submission checklist
- Have you said largest by which measure?
- Is there a comparison with an alternative?
- Is the DNP contribution realistic for one person?
- Do the first steps begin with listening rather than assessing?
- Are your burden figures sourced?
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Argumentation and thesis development
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