Abstract
The health of individuals occurs within the context of their environment and the other individuals they interact with in the communities they live in, work in and visit. Promoting the health of the public requires multiple strategies aimed at improving the environment, the health knowledge of groups and individuals, maintaining adequate food and water, and reducing the spread of disease. Many disciplines are needed to meet these goals, but the largest segment of the professional health work force required to meet these needs is nursing. Historically, nursing leaders in public health such as Florence Nightingale and Lillian Wald made significant inroads related to serious health issues because they were nurses. Today across the globe, nurses provide the key components of public health interventions including well baby care, health education, screening and immunization clinics, disaster management and emergency preparedness. With the growing nursing shortage in acute care settings, the brain drain of nurses from certain areas of the world, the shrinking public dollars for preventive health care, the nursing workforce needed to continue to provide these essential health care services is threatened. It is essential to put the spot light on nursing’s role in public health with the hopes of attracting more public funds and more nurses to provide these essential services.
Highlights
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in their report The Future of the Public’s Health defined public health as what society does collectively to assure the conditions for people to be healthy [1]
The continued efforts needed to improve the health of populations and communities require an appreciation of the role nurses have played in the past, but a clear explicit commitment from both the nursing profession and the field of public health science that nurses, the largest segment of the professional health care workforce are key to the success of meeting public health goals across the globe
That collective defense against transnational threats requires that nurses develop skills in public health science so that practice related to prevention is informed and tied to a clear knowledge base
Summary
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in their report The Future of the Public’s Health defined public health as what society does collectively to assure the conditions for people to be healthy [1] This definition builds on the classic definition of public health proposed by C.E. Winslow in 1920, which indicates that public health is the science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized community efforts [2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defense against transnational threats.” [3]. School nurses were essential in the detection of the virus, helping to abate the initial spread of the disease
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