A Comparison of the Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing in Norway and the United States

Background: The Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing, originally developed in the United States, identify the values and beliefs foundational to public health nursing. The Cornerstones, which were disseminated nationally and internationally, are used in practice and education. Norwegian and U. S. public health nurses collaborated to identify the essential values and beliefs that guide the practice of public health nursing in Norway. Methods: The researchers analyzed Norwegian government documents, guidelines for public health nursing practice in Norway, and articles on Norwegian public health and public health nursing to identify key themes. Next, two focus groups were conducted with nurses in three practice settings - maternal child health, school, and home care. In the first focus group, participants were asked to reflect on key values and beliefs that guided their nursing practice. In the second focus group, participants reviewed the Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing developed in the United States to evaluate the fit and meaning of the U. S. Cornerstones for the practice of public health nursing in Norway. Results: A content analysis of documents and articles and focus group themes resulted in the development of the Norwegian Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing. Conclusions: While there are many similarities across the Norwegian and U. S. Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing, differences also emerged, including an emphasis on the responsibility of the Norwegian government for influencing the health of citizens and a stronger emphasis on the empowerment of individuals and families for Norwegian public health nurses.