Public health nurse role in community health promotion & prevention

One of the differentiating hallmarks of public health nursing practice is its focus on prevention and health promotion activities at the community level. However, there has been a lack of data documenting public health nurses' (PHN) work at this level. This session will present the results of a task analysis that identified public health nursing activities related to community activities. The task analysis was conducted with 60 PHNs representing 30 states. The PHNs in the sample were baccalaureate prepared with 3 years of experience and represented the broad scope of PHN practice. The first survey identified the PHN activities participants typically performed in their public health nursing job; the second survey probed deeper into each PHN activity. This session will report the results of the task analysis on 1) PHN prevention activities (51% of all PHN activities were rated as primary prevention), 2) the types and number of community health promotion/ prevention programs that PHNs planned and implemented (88% of PHNs reported working in these programs), 3) the role of PHNs in developing (87%) and leading coalitions and community groups (87%), and 4) a qualitative analysis of the types of coalitions in which PHNs participate and their role in the mobilization of communities around health issues. Despite the considerable differences in geography and population size, the task analysis revealed remarkable similarities in the work of PHNs across the nation. The types of health issues that PHNs address through their community level public health nursing activities are extensive and intersect all populations.