Reconciling the differences between health promotion in nursing and ‘general’ health promotion

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.12.014Get rights and content

Abstract

In the light of the fact that it is known that much of nursing-related health promotion practice is ‘out-of-step’ with the wider health promotion community, it seems sensible to explore to what extent this is the case and the reasons why. This article examines the key issues related to both camps. In doing so, and in noting any differences, it is possible to put forward recommendations for any needed reform – so that, where differences can be reconciled, nursing health promotion is seen to be in alignment with other health professions and the general health promotion community at large.

Section snippets

Introduction and background

It is always going to be important for nursing to keep a watchful eye on the current main health promotion contexts and concepts presented in the ‘general’ health promotion literature. It is only by doing so that one can explore and evaluate how nursing-related health promotion practice compares and contrasts against the disciplines and practices of health promotion in other health professional disciplines – both allied to medicine and nursing and outside of this. Armed with this knowledge, it

Barriers to health promotion in nursing

It is known that there are wide differences between the health promotion practices of nurses and other allied health professions and the general health promotion community. This is particularly noted with health professions which come under the umbrella of ‘professions allied to medicine [PAM's]’ e.g. radiographers, physiotherapists, dieticians, podiatrists, speech therapists, pharmacists, dentists and orthoptists (Scriven, 2005). Underpinning this known fact of different practices, a wide body

Summary and recommendations

A number of recommendations arise from a direct comparison of the general and the nursing-related health promotion literature. The main ones are as follows.

Conclusion

While progress has been made by nursing in its contribution to the field of health promotion, this effort has not always been as concerted or sustained as with the more general health promotion community. The encouraging note, of late, is that more evident pockets of effective nursing-related health education health promotion work are emerging in the practice arena. Unfortunately, this health-related clinical work is still being marred by the continuing lack of both clear theory and policy – as

References (108)

  • K. Tones

    Evaluating health promotion: a tale of three errors

    Patient Education and Counselling

    (2000)
  • D. Whitehead

    Health Promoting Universities (HPU): the role and function of nursing

    Nurse Education Today

    (2004)
  • D. Whitehead

    Health Promoting Prisons (HPP) and the imperative for nursing

    International Journal of Nursing Studies

    (2006)
  • L. Adams et al.

    Searching for the roots of health promotion

    Health Care Analysis

    (1996)
  • J. Aponte et al.

    Community as client: reaching an underserved urban community and meeting unmet primary health care needs

    Journal of Community Health Nursing

    (2007)
  • M. Barnes et al.

    School-based Youth Health Nurses: roles, responsibilities, challenges and rewards

    Public Health Nursing

    (2004)
  • J.D. Bartley

    Health promotion and school nurses: the potential for change

    Community Practitioner

    (2004)
  • M. Bensburg et al.

    Identifying the opportunities for health promoting emergency departments

    Accident and Emergency Nursing

    (2003)
  • L. Breslow

    A health promotion primer for the 1990's

    Health Affairs

    (1990)
  • A. Britton et al.

    Letters – search for evidence of effective health promotion

    British Medical Journal

    (1998)
  • B. Brubaker

    Health promotion: a linguistic analysis

    Advances in Nursing Science

    (1983)
  • D.R. Buchanan

    Reflections on the relationship between theory and practice

    Health Education Research

    (1994)
  • D. Butler-Jones

    Commentary – health promotion in clinical practice

  • K. Caelli et al.

    Towards a decision support system for health promotion in nursing

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (2003)
  • R. Caplan et al.

    Rethinking health education theory

    Health Education Journal

    (1990)
  • D. Casey

    Findings from non-participant observational data concerning health promoting nursing practice in the acute hospital setting focusing on generalist nurses

    Journal of Clinical Nursing

    (2007)
  • D. Casey

    Nurses’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of health promotion

    Journal of Clinical Nursing

    (2007)
  • J. Catford

    The Bangkok Conference: steering countries to build national capacity for health promotion

    Health Promotion International

    (2005)
  • J. Cheek

    At the margins? Discourse analysis and qualitative research

    Qualitative Health Research

    (2004)
  • M. Cleary et al.

    Towards a healthier lifestyle for staff of a psychiatric hospital: description of a pilot health promotion programme

    International Journal of Mental Health Nursing

    (2005)
  • R. Cross

    Accident and emergency nurses’ attitudes towards health promotion

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (2005)
  • F. Delaney

    Nursing and health promotion: conceptual concerns

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (1994)
  • Department of Health

    Our Healthier Nation: A Contract for Health

    (1998)
  • K. Dew

    Modes of practice and models of science in medicine

    Health

    (2001)
  • Department of Health and Human Services, 1991. Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention...
  • E.T. Dowd

    Psychological reactance in health education and promotion

    Health Education Journal

    (2002)
  • J. French

    Boundaries and horizons, the role of health education within health promotion

    Health Education Journal

    (1990)
  • N. Freudenberg

    Shaping the future of health education from behavioural change to social action

    Health Education Monographs

    (1978)
  • M. Gott et al.

    The Role of the Nurse in Health Promotion: Policies Perspectives and Practice

    (1990)
  • L.W. Green et al.

    Health promotion, health education, and disease prevention

  • F. Irvine

    Exploring district nursing competencies in health promotion: the use of the Delphi technique

    Journal of Clinical Nursing

    (2005)
  • F. Irvine

    Examining the correspondence of theoretical and real interpretations of health promotion

    Journal of Clinical Nursing

    (2007)
  • L. Jackson

    Health and health promotion

  • H. Joffe

    Representations of health risks: what social psychology can offer health promotion

    Health Education Journal

    (2002)
  • K. Kelley et al.

    Health promotion for people aged over 65 years in hospitals: nurses’ perceptions about their role

    Journal of Clinical Nursing

    (2007)
  • I. Kickbusch

    Foreword

  • P.M. King

    Health promotion: the emerging frontier in nursing

    Journal of Advanced Nursing

    (1994)
  • P.A. Kulbok et al.

    Advancing discourse on health promotion: beyond mainstream thinking

    Advances in Nursing Science

    (1997)
  • R. Labonte et al.

    A story/dialogue method for health promotion knowledge development and evaluation

    Health Education Research

    (1999)
  • Cited by (34)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text