Health promotion: a viable curriculum framework for nursing education

Differences in health promoting lifestyle behavior of health management students based upon early diagnosis coverage in a cancer course

BACKGROUND

This is a descriptive study to determine whether coursework that is focused on early diagnosis in cancer makes a difference in self-reported health promoting lifestyle behavior of students who study health management.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The population of the study consisted of a sample of 104 students enrolled in the Department of Health Management at the Faculty of Health in Kirikkale University in Turkey. Forty- eight students enrolled in a course called "Early Diagnosis of Cancer" and fifty-six did not take this course. Demographic information was collected and the "Health Promotion Life-Style Profile (HPLP) " was used to collect health promotion data. Frequency and descriptive statistics including one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis tests were used to evaluate data.

RESULTS

The HPLP mean score of the students was found to be 127.5±17.45. The highest mean score was observed for self-fulfillment and health responsibility, while the lowest was for diet and exercise sub-scales. It was found that certain variables were effective in developing health promoting lifestyle behaviors such as choosing this job voluntarily, working status of father and participation in social activity (p<0.05). In conclusion, it was found that the students had moderate levels of health promoting lifestyle behavior and they should be supported in terms of diet and exercise.

Mission possible: twenty-five years of university and college collaboration in baccalaureate nursing education

In Canada, nurse educators from five postsecondary institutions in the province of British Columbia established a collaborative nursing education initiative in 1989, with a vision to transform RN college diploma programs to baccalaureate degree programs. The principles, processes, and structures that served to develop and sustain this nursing education initiative are briefly reviewed. Curriculum, scholarship, and education legislation serve as platforms to critically explore a 25-year history (1989-2014) of successes, challenges, and transitions within this unique nursing education collaboration. The importance of curriculum development as faculty development, program evaluation as an adjunct to pedagogical scholarship, diversity of cross-institutional mandates, political interplay in nursing education, collegiality, and courageous leadership are highlighted. Nurse educators seeking to create successful collaborations must draw upon well-defined principles and organizational structures and processes to guide pedagogical practices and inquiry while remaining mindful of and engaged in professional and societal developments.

Nurses' occupational health as a driver for curriculum change emphasising health promotion: an historical research study

BACKGROUND

Reasons stated for curriculum change in nursing education are usually shifts in knowledge, care delivery, roles, regulatory standards and population health needs. In New Zealand in the 1930s, a curriculum change was driven instead by the need to protect and promote nurses' health. Tuberculosis was an international occupational health risk among nurses. Mary Lambie, New Zealand's chief nurse, considered nursing a "hazardous profession". One remedy she instituted was curriculum change in the national nurse training programme to emphasise health promotion among nurses. Global nursing issues today also impact on nurses' health. Curriculum changes again address this by promoting self-care and resilience.

OBJECTIVE

To examine how international and national concern for nurses' occupational health drove a curriculum change in New Zealand nurse training in the 1930s.

DESIGN

Historical Research

METHODS

International occupational health reports (1930s), Lambie's annual reports (1932-1950), and questions and examiners' comments in a new state examination (1940s-1950s), were analysed to identify the reasons for and direction of the curriculum change. Findings were interpreted within international and national concerns and measures related to occupational health in nursing.

RESULTS

Lambie used the political leverage of international and national worry over tuberculosis as a nursing occupational health risk to protect nurses' health more generally. In 1933 she revised the first year of the three-year national nursing curriculum to emphasise personal hygiene and bacteriology related to cross-infection, and in 1938 introduced a State Preliminary Examination at the end of the first year of training to test this knowledge. Analysis of examinations, 1940s-1950s, confirms that the curriculum change driver was a concern to make nursing a less "hazardous profession".

CONCLUSION

Nurse educators today should be aware of the variety of factors that can lead to curriculum change in nursing. In addition, concern for nurses' health today demonstrates the continuing need for health promotion in nursing curricula.

Nursing students' attitudes to health promotion to: implications for teaching practice

For several decades now the World Health Organization has indicated the need for a reorientation of the health services away from focusing solely on illness and disease to one that considers both disease prevention and health promotion. Successive publications that guide public health policy both nationally and internationally reiterate the need for health promotion and the principles of health for all to become integral to the fabric of health care delivery. The role of the nurse as health promoters is well recognized. However despite acknowledgement by professional nursing bodies and nurse educators that health promotion forms a central tenet of undergraduate nurse education curricula, there are varied approaches to teaching and learning and little formal evaluation of the consequences of approaches taken. The aims of this study are to identify current health promotion curricular content within the Irish undergraduate nursing programme context; to measure nursing students' attitudes towards health promotion and to examine nursing students' reported lifestyle behaviours.

Empowerment and its application in health promotion in acute care settings: nurses' perceptions

BACKGROUND

Empowerment has long been a central tenet of health promotion theory. Globally, governments have advocated the use of empowerment in their public health policies. Nurses are seen as essential in the delivery of this agenda using the empowerment model to engage patients in self-care and decision-making.

METHOD

Six different vignettes requiring a health promotion intervention were shown to a convenience sample of 20 Registered Nurses in a United Kingdom acute care hospital. The nurses were asked to describe how they would meet the health promotion needs of the patients described in the vignettes. The data were collected between 2005 and 2006 and analysed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

Two types of practitioner were identified: Type I divergent nurse health promotion practitioner and Type II convergent nurse health promotion practitioner. The main factor distinguishing the two types was the way in which they conceptualized the verb 'to empower'.

CONCLUSION

The theory of health promotion taught to participants does not seem to be applied in acute care settings. This raises the possibility that Registered Nurses acting as mentors and role models are convergent rather than divergent thinkers.

Teaching Can Never Be Innocent: Fostering an Enlightening Educational Experience

Becoming cognizant of the actual and potential oppressive dimensions of the teaching practices of nurse educators is essential in establishing a more democratic and enlightening experience for both teachers and students. Although there has been an ardent trend toward the promotion of critical thinking and reflective ability among nursing students, rarely has attention focused on the ability of nurse educators to be critically reflective of their own teaching. The authors pose key questions about the reality of nursing education today and how it can sometimes continue to reflect a philosophy that seems to contravene the notion of a more liberated approach to teaching. In that process, they reflect critically on the subtle incongruities and complexities between teachers' intentions and their practice.

The health-promoting nurse as a health policy career expert and entrepreneur

A plethora of literature suggests that many nurses struggle in their attempts to develop a political role that allows them to directly influence and implement health policy activity. Nursing curricula are an integral part of ensuring that nurses are capable of taking on a more active role in initiating and developing health policy processes, through a broadening of the health promotion curriculum that focuses on socio-political approaches to health care provision. Despite this, the available literature suggests that the majority of nursing curricula are yet to fulfil this role. Such a role could be supported by attempts to define and promote a specific career route that develops nurses as health policy experts and entrepreneurs early on in their careers. This article aims to put forward a rationale for developing such a position in nursing education.

Integrating health promotion into nursing curricula in Hong Kong

The health care system in Hong Kong has historically been steeped in the biomedical paradigm. Health care reform, however, is finally putting health promotion on the agenda of governments and health care providers. As the largest group of providers in Hong Kong, nurses must assume a leadership role in the transition of the current illness-focused system to one that emphasizes health and promotes wellness. For nurses to take up the challenge of health promotion, they need to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills. Nursing curricula must emphasize this new paradigm and provide opportunities for students to develop expertise in health promotion and disease prevention. This article describes a health-promotion initiative carried out by 1st-year students in an undergraduate nursing program in Hong Kong. The health-promotion project aims to prepare graduates who will be able to meet health care needs and function effectively in the future health care system. Not only will these nurses be capable of becoming future leaders of the health-promotion movement in Hong Kong, they are also contributing to the health and wellness of Hong Kong citizens.

Health care delivery system influences changes in nursing educational materials

The changing health care delivery system has affected nursing care delivery models. To meet the needs of these shifting sands, health-related professions must examine curricula preparing new graduates. An exploratory, descriptive survey design was employed to discover motivators for and types of curricular changes occurring in nursing programs and determine what supportive educational materials are needed. One hundred sixty-seven (26%) of the 651 surveys mailed to a sample of the whole of U.S. baccalaureate nursing programs were returned. Relationships between and among categories of nominal data culled from the participants' experiences were compared using nonparametric statistics. Findings demonstrated why and what changes were made and what educational materials are needed to support new curricula. Results also indicated that blurring of boundaries between community and general acute care nursing is necessary, and changes throughout curricula, including educational materials, must reflect the real-life community aspects of the health care needs of all individuals.

Reconfiguring a Curriculum for the New Millennium: The Process of Change

Over the past decade, changing demographics, new technology, an increased focus on health promotion, and radical shifts in health care reimbursement have significantly impacted the nursing role. The purpose of this article is to review the process of change at one university as its curriculum evolved from an integrated acute-care focus to a community-based, health promotion framework. A review of the literature and survey data from students, alumnae, faculty, other universities, and curriculum consultants laid the groundwork for this process. Curriculum generation followed guided by data analysis, template design and revision, values clarification, sacrificing "sacred cows," and consensus building. Implications for nursing and nursing education are explored.

Teaching Feminist Group Process Within a Nursing Curriculum

Nurse educators are challenged to develop emancipatory teaching approaches that will create opportunities for students to develop their own praxis. In particular, the authors faced the challenge of teaching feminist group process within a curriculum based on phenomenology, feminism, and critical social theory. In this article, we discuss the challenges and rewards of teaching nursing and other students about feminist process through the creation of experiential learning opportunities. In addition, we highlight recommendations based on our own praxis.

The role of baccalaureate nursing students in the matrix of health promotion

The Declaration of Alma Ata in 1978 put primary health care into the forefront of government health agendas around the world. The Ottawa Charter followed in 1986, emphasizing the role of health promotion for enhancing the wellness of populations and the potential cost savings related to illness care. The findings from research and evaluation in health promotion indicate that multiple approaches, such as mass media campaigns, school-based education, community education, community development, environmental initiatives, and implementation of legislation, are most likely to bring about sustained change (Garrard, 1990). Health education is a component of health promotion and is directed toward enhancing the skills of individuals, families, and communities to change behavior. Behavior change, however, will not be achieved by isolated health education campaigns but by a combination of strategies, methods, and activities at a local, state, and federal level. The type of campaigns that are implemented by nursing students is one intervention that forms part of the matrix of health promotion. This article describes the experience of a School of Nursing in the application of health education by students in a variety of settings in the community. These campaigns help the students to connect theory to nursing practice in a creative way that provides immediate and long-term benefits and may enhance the health of the community.

Student experiences of nursing health promotion practice in hospital settings

It has become evident that the current approaches to health care are inadequate for the changing needs of the world. Health promotion has gained recognition as a preferred option and many nursing programmes throughout the world have reoriented their curricula to incorporate this approach. This paper describes a study that was conducted to explicate student experiences of the practice of health promotion. Twenty-four students participated in the study; qualitative methods, narrative accounts and reflective journals were used to collect the data and the data was analysed using van Manen's recommendations for thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged: the centrality of caring; empowerment--power, participation and partnerships; and the primacy of people. Student narratives are used to illustrate the themes.

Community health promotion nursing practice

Evolving definitions of community and health promotion require the examination of community nursing practice. This article critically explores how the meanings of community may influence community nursing practice. In nursing, the most common definitions of community are of community as context/resource and community as client. The authors postulate that these definitions of community influence the nature of community practice. Moreover, if nurses are to practice within the context of health promotion, focusing on community as a relational experience, new patterns of community health promotion practice will need to emerge. This pattern of practice must honor people's experiences of community including power relations present in community. A new pattern of community health promotion nursing practice encompasses the four components of listening and critical reflection; participatory dialogue and critical questioning; pattern emergence and recognition; and movement to action.

The role of Project 2000 educated nurses in health promotion within the hospital setting

This study is concerned with the role of Project 2000-educated nurses in health promotion within the hospital setting. Historically nurses have been viewed as having a role to play in promoting the health of the people for whom they care. More recently, with the advent of the Health For All Movement initiated by the World Health Organization in 1978, the attention has again been focused on what nurses can do towards attainment of this goal, although most of the research has been carried out in relation to community nurses and primary care. Changes in nurse education, specifically that of Project 2000 nurse education, have been hailed as the opportunity to equip nurses with knowledge and skills appropriate to the task, which have been seen as lacking from many nurse educational programmes. Early work on this issue has produced conflicting findings as to the success of these educational changes. This study used an exploratory, qualitative approach to investigate what aspects of health promotion in the hospital setting are being carried out by nurses who have undergone Project 2000 nurse education within a college of nursing and midwifery in Scotland, and whether these nurses feel that they have been adequately prepared for this role during their educational programme. Findings suggest that the nurses interviewed were working with very wide perceptions of health promotion which included the more radical aspects of health promotion such as negotiation, collaboration and empowerment. Health promotion was also seen to include psychosocial factors that influence the health of individuals. The nurses interviewed in general felt that their education had prepared them for a role in health promotion. The value of clinical placements in facilitating the developing the skills for health promotion was established.

Specialist education and practice in nursing: an Australian perspective

In this paper, we argue that specialist nurses occupy a strategic position in the Australian health care system and will continue to do so in the future. From a careful consideration of the literature describing past, present and future nursing practice and education, we conclude that specialist nurses with appropriate skills gained through lifelong learning and experience are the nurses to lead and foster the future practice of nursing. The role of current nurse educators is to provide time-sensitive education programmes that will facilitate the development of such skills.

Health promotion ideology and nursing education

Nursing has been concerned primarily with the visible aspects of health promotion and has shown little regard for what is invisible. Yet the hidden ideology powerfully shapes current approaches to health promotion. This paper examines and makes visible the ideology of individual responsibility which is embedded in individualistic health promotion, the primary orientation to health promotion. Ways in which this ideology is perpetuated within nursing curricula are described. Concrete strategies are proposed that may be considered by nurse educators as they seek to prepare students in health promotion, with particular emphasis on strategies that highlight its ideological underpinnings.

Education and Practice Collaboration: A Strategy for Curriculum Development

Five schools of nursing in British Columbia formed a collaborative partnership in 1989; four represented diploma programs, and one a post-RN program. Their partnership benefited each in the development of a baccalaureate nursing curriculum. Committed to the principle of a curriculum being driven by practice, rather than the reverse, the collaborative partners employed a variety of strategies to include nurses from practice in the development of the curriculum. One strategy used by the partnership was a Delphi survey of nurses in practice. This article describes the results of this survey and their implications for nursing curricula.