Public Nursing: An Introduction To Public Health Nursing

INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING

History of Public Health and Public Health Nursing

Introduction

The history of public health could be traced back to almost as long as history of human civilization.

Possible customs during civilization may be, restrictions against waste disposal within public areas or close drinking water sources; rites associated with burial of the dead; and communal assistance during birth.

Definition

“Public health nursing is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of a population using knowledge from nursing, social and public health sciences.

The practice is population concentrated with the aims of promoting health and preventing disease and disability for all persons through the creation of good environments

Concept of Public Health Nursing

Public health nursing is the synthesis of nursing theory and public health theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of the population.

The focus of public health nursing in the public as a whole and the effect of the public health status on the health of the individuals, families and groups, care is provided with the framework of preventing disease and disability and promoting and protecting the health of the community as a whole.

Health Promotion:

Health promotion is a guiding concept involving activities intended to enhance individual and community health well-being. It aims at increasing involvement and control of the individual and the community in their own health. It acts to develop health and social welfare, and to reduce explicit determinants of diseases and risk factors that unfavourably affect the health, well-being, and productive capacities of an individual or society, setting targets based on the size of the problem but also the possibility of successful involvements, in a cost-effective

Both public health and clinical medicine is important and mutually dependent to increase individual and public health. Ready access to high quality health care services is a right of the population and a requirement of good public health. This requires the accessibility of high quality providers of clinical and preventive care.

Public health involves both direct and indirect methods. Direct measures in public health include immunization of children, modern birth control, hypertension, and diabetes case findings. Indirect methods used in public health protect the individual by community –extensive means, like raising standards of environmental safety, assurance of a safe water supply, sewage disposal, and improved nutrition. In public health practice, both the direct and indirect methods are crucial and necessarily relevant.

The idea behind public health should include all population with in the community, both free living and those living in institutions.

It should consider the health needs of the population and the health care resources in the community including services offered in institutional