Principles of Public Health Nursing practice

Mr. Manasseh MvulaBSc N IV student UNZA

At the end of this lecture, a students should acquire knowledge on the principles of Public health Nursing

General objective

At the end of this lecture, a student should be able to;Define Public Health NursingDiscuss the six principles of Public

Health Nursing practice

Specific objectives

Public health nursing is a field of nursing practice in which the family and the community are the clients (Stanhope M et al., 2008).

The primary focus is the prevention of disease, promotion and the maintenance of the highest level of health and wellbeing (Stanhope M et al., 2008).

Definition

Public health nursing believes that all persons have the capacity and the potential to develop better physical health and improved wellbeing, depending on their desires, willingness to change and their adaptabilities to prescribed therapies.

Principles of Public Health Nursing

Entails giving holistic care or giving care in totality.

Holistic care means taking care of all the aspects of the patient health namely physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

Comprehensive Health Care

A public health nurse using this principle does not select which problems to deal with.

Comprehensive health services encompass other health care programmes in order to provide holistic care.

Cont’d

Services are usually integrated so that many services are offered at the particular time for example, children’s clinic and antenatal clinic.

This principle is good because it takes advantage of each visit to the community to deal with most health problems people may have in the community.

The disadvantage is that it is too general and may not deal with a particular problem completely.

Cont’d

Using this principle, a public health nurse selects a particular health problem and deals with it completely.

The advantage is that it is specific and tends to deal with a problem completely.

The disadvantage is that it is narrow in scope as it does not enable the public health nurse to deal with other health problems in the community.

Selective Health Care

Equity is providing services to people in fairness.

People, regardless of social background, race, colour or geographical location should have equal access to the services the public health nurse provides.

Equity

In developing countries, this principle is not usually followed wholly because of lack of resources.

In line with this principle, the Zambian government has introduced outreach programmes in order to attend to people in the peripherals.

Cont’d

This principle requires involvement of other disciplines in the execution of many public health programmes.

Improved health status in the community cannot be achieved without the involvement of other sectors-whether public or private.

Intersectoral collaboration

For example, the ministry of education partners with the ministry of health in the vaccination of school children.

The media sensitizes people on many public health matters like the prevention of cholera in the community.

This shows therefore that the Ministry of health cannot work alone.

Cont’d

This principle reminds the public health nurse that health problems are in the community where people live.

Therefore, for such problems to be solved require full participation of the community in reporting and solving issues that are prevailing in their community.

A public health nurse can also use a community diagnosis in order to help the community come up with problems.

Community Participation

The public health principle entails that the care we provide to the people in the community should be of quality and within the means of people.

Affordable and acceptable health care

PHN is a field of nursing practice in which the family and the community are the clients.

Its primary focus is the prevention of disease, promotion and the maintenance of the highest level of health and wellbeing.

Take home points

In order to maintain its primary focus, six principles have to be applied and these are;Comprehensive care, Selective health care, Equity, Intersectoral collaboration, Community participation Affordable and acceptable health care.

Cont’d

Questions?

Define public health nursing. What are the six principles of public

health nursing practice?

Can you remember?

Read about the major public health problems in Zambia.

Assignment

Dianne W. Et al (2003), Community Health Nursing, 2nd edition, oxford Philadelphia, Toronto.

Stanhope M, Lancaster J (2008) Public Health Nursing, 7TH edition, Elsevier Mosby, Missouri

References

End of the Lecture