Public health nursing

Public health nursing, a term coined by Lillian Wald of the Henry Street Settlement, or community health nursing, is a nursing specialty focused on public health. Public health nurses (PHNs) or community health nurses "integrate community involvement and knowledge about the entire population with personal, clinical understandings of the health and illness experiences of individuals and families within the population."[1] Public health nursing in the United States traces back to a nurse named Lillian Wald who, in 1893, established the Henry Street Settlement in New York City and coined the expression "public health nurse". Public health nurses work within communities and focus on different areas to improve the overall health of the people within that community. Some areas of employment for public health nurses are school districts, county or state health departments, and departments of correction. The public health nurse looks for areas of concern within the community and assesses and plans ways through which the concerns can be resolved or minimized. Some health concerns a public health nurse may work on are infection control, health maintenance, health coaching, as well as home care visits for welfare and to provide care to certain members of the community who may need it.

Credentials

All public health nurses are registered nurses. Some jobs do not require any further training beyond taking public health nursing courses. Others do require the individual to obtain a certification in public health nursing. One option is the National Board of Public Health Examiners' Certification in Public Health (NBPHE). This certification requires a bachelor's degree and five years of public health work experience. Another option was the Advanced Public Health Nursing Certification (PHNA-BC) but it is now only offered for renewal.

Background

Public health nurses (PHSs) represent the single largest group of public health practitioners working in the U.S. state health departments (SDHs)and local health departments (LHDs).Public health nursing (PHN) is a specialty practice within public health and nursing. “It promotes and protects the health of populations using knowledge from various fields including nursing, public health, and the social sciences.” [2] It addresses multiple determinants of health with a focus on improving overall population health, removing health disparities, and establishing social justice. Nursing practice involves policy development, planning, and advocacy with an emphasis on primary prevention, health equity, and addressing the unique needs of vulnerable sub-populations. Additional practice guidelines are detailed by the American Nurses Association Public Health Nursing: Scope & Standards of Practice. [3] Areas of interest include but are not limited to infection prevention, immunization, environmental health, and opioid crises response. PHNs are vital to the delivery of essential public health services for populations, and often possess diverse skills to carry out job tasks related to clinical diagnostics and treatment, epidemiology, statistics, health promotion, disease surveillance, community health assessment and policy development. In addition PHNs frequently provide direct patient care for the vulnerable and underserved populations.

Public health nurses deliver planned activities that require to protect and promote health in patients that require care. Public health is fundamental to the UK's philosophy for health achievement and attainment over time. It is a central feature of the contemporary health strategy which sets to prepare the way for the population's health and wellbeing up to 2030 and is widely accepted to be everyone's business.Ezhova, I., Sayer, L., Newland, R., Davis, N., Mcletchie‐Holder, S., Burrows, P., . . . Malone, M. E. (2020). Models and frameworks that enable nurses to develop their public health practice—A scoping study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(13-14), 2150-2160. doi:10.1111/jocn.15267 There are three main objectives for public health nurses: to prevent illness in individuals and promote healthy lifestyle, protect individuals from disease by the use of immunizations and by monitoring the disease process, and by creating long-term changes in communities through education and health promoting activities. Obviously, correct implementation of the nursing care program is vital in the process of educating and providing guidance to vulnerable families and community groups in order to empower family self-care.Tantut, S., Syahroni, B., & Turwantoko, T. (2019). Performance of Public Health Nurses and Coverage of the Nursing Care Program by Community Health Centers in Jember, Indonesia. International Journal of Community Based Nursing & Midwifery, 7(2), 161-168. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2083/ehost/detail/detail?vid=15&sid=6e2cc6f3-0eaf-49ac-a262-3e2fec514051@pdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=135923265&db=rzh

Public health nurses focus on the entire community's population along with the individual and family population (Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, n.d). They put an emphasis on preventative care and basic health education (Arkansas State University, 2017). Their goal is to reduce disease and improve the quantity and quality of life of the general public (Arkansas State University, 2017). Public health nurses work in a variety of settings such as public health agencies, non-profit groups, and educational organizations (Arkansas State University, 2017). They collaborate with health planners and policy makers to make changes and act as an advocate for a particular community (Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, n.d). They analyze the issues and patterns within a community and assist in developing interventions or strategies for more effective outcomes (Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, n.d). (apaulCSU)

Apart from prevention of illness, public health nurses also focus on the promotion of health and maintenance of the health of certain populations (Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, n.d). Their role is to keep the public safe and respond to community needs. They provide a linkage between epidemiological data and clinical understanding of health issues (Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, n.d). Public health education has been essential throughout the years for preventing certain conditions. Promoting vaccinations and infection control techniques has assisted the public in reducing contagious disease transmission (Arkansas State University, 2017). Nurses are needed at every aspect of public work from education campaigns to implementation of hygiene and sanitation initiatives (Arkansas State University, 2017). (apaulCSU)

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References

1. "Public Health Nursing Section". APHA. 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
2. American Public Health Association, Definition of Public Health Nursing, APHA.org, retrieved 2020-07-01
3. American Nurses Association, Public Health Nursing, Nursingworld.org, retrieved 2020-07-01
4. Arkansas State University. (2017). Role of public health nurses in communicable disease control. Retrieved from https://degree.astate.edu/articles/nursing/role-of-public-health-nurses.aspx Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. (n.d.). Role of public health nurses. Retrieved from https://health.mo.gov/living/lpha/phnursing/phnroles.php