Public health is an important aspect in the nursing profession because it involves addressing medical illnesses on a global scale. Due to the aging population and the advancement of medical technologies, public health nurses are vital in developing and providing skilled nursing care aimed at promoting preventative measures to increase the global health of the population. It is this understanding that fuels public health nurses to continue their efforts to not only educate society about certain illnesses, but also promote healthy lifestyles across the patient gamut.
What is Public Health?
According to the Public Health Institute, public health is defined as “the science and practice of protecting and improving the health of a community, as by preventative medicine, health education, control of communicable diseases, application of sanitary measures, and monitoring of environmental hazards.” The focus of increasing public health awareness is significant especially in today’s society because of the growing paradigm shift towards preventative care versus diagnostic care. In addition to this, public health awareness also requires a collaborative and multidisciplinary effort consisting of physicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, and dietary professionals. This interprofessional collaboration is vital because it involves gathering a sizeable amount of clinical data to effectively screen and prevent a disease from adversely affecting the general public.
The Impact of Nursing in Public Health
The impact of nurses in supporting public health efforts is invaluable because of their strong emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses not only possess the proficiencies but also competencies to tackle the burden of health determinants and the various environmental and behavioral factors associated with it. Subsequently, nurses must have the skillset to proactively confront these challenges within an individual and societal context. In order to evaluate these activities, nurses must be diligent in both planning and implementing to ensure public health concerns are addressed directly. Finally, nurses who are actively involved in lobbying for societal and structural reform are then able to promote effectual health care strategies aimed at reducing negative health outcomes associated with poor health decisions and a lack of knowledge.
Why is Public Health Important?
Due to the health care industry shifting towards more preventive care strategies, nurses continue to play a major role in leveraging public health awareness. By identifying and monitoring health concerns that may affect entire communities, public health nurses are uniquely qualified to not only advocate, but also promote societal change to safeguard the health and well-being of all individuals around the world. Therefore, a nurse’s role in health promotion includes various responsibilities related to advocating, enabling, and mediating activities to ensure salubrious decisions equate to healthier outcomes.
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