Public health nursing is a synthesis of professional nursing and public health science. To assist people effectively to determine and enhance their health capabilities, it is essential that public health nurses have a sound understanding of the behaviors that improve or jeopardize health. This concern arises from the profession’s increased emphasis on health behavior and from nursing’s stated g...

BACKGROUND Climate change affects human health, and health departments are urged to act to reduce the severity of these impacts. Yet little is known about the perspective of public health nurses--the largest component of the public health workforce--regarding their roles in addressing health impacts of climate change. OBJECTIVES We determined the knowledge and attitudes of public health nurse...

The public health nurse has become an essential link in bringing the science of public health to the community. The significance of the development of this branch of the nursing profession is emphasized by a broadened objective, from the care of the sick poor in their homes to the present concept of community nursing, embracing those services which prevent and relieve sickness, prolong life, an...

The Intervention Wheel is a population-based practice model that encompasses three levels of practice (community, systems, and individual/family) and 17 public health interventions. Each intervention and practice level contributes to improving population health. The Intervention Wheel, previously known as the Public Health Intervention Model, was originally introduced in 1998 by the Minnesota D...

The 2001 anthrax events have vividly illustrated that terrorism involving the release of a biological agent is a major public health emergency requiring an immediate and well-coordinated response. If healthcare professionals and emergency responders are to be prepared to manage such attacks, unprecedented cooperative efforts at the national, state, and local levels are necessary. To aid such ef...

OBJECTIVES To integrate public health nursing (PHN) competencies into a comprehensive performance review instrument for nurses at multiple practice levels in an urban public health department. DESIGN Based on thorough review of PHN competency literature, the tool evaluates performance for 5 nursing practice classifications (Staff RN, Public Health Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Spe...