Exploring nursing outcomes for health promotion

Population health as a framework for forensic nursing curriculum

The American Association for the Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has recommended that master's level graduate programs prepare nurses as generalists. There is, however, a gap in the educational ladder at the master's level when current master's clinical nurse specialist (CNP) and nurse practitioner (NP) programs are reconfigured as doctoral programs. To fill this gap, a curriculum model using population health as a framework is proposed.

Small-group hypertension health education programme: a process and outcome evaluation

AIM

This paper reports a study to explore the expectations, attainments and opinions of the participants, the objectives and experiences of nurse facilitators, and the changes in nurse-client relationship after a small-group hypertension health education programme.

BACKGROUND

Effective control of blood pressure among hypertensive patients is essential in the reduction of cerebrovascular-related morbidity and mortality. A 'small-group hypertension education programme' has been implemented in all general outpatient clinics in Hong Kong since 2000. In order to identify what aspects of the programme were beneficial and how it benefited clients, a process evaluation study was conducted.

METHODS

Following implementation of a small-group hypertension health education programme, two focus groups were run to collect data from eight nurse facilitators, and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 programme participants. The data were collected in 2001.

FINDINGS

The findings indicate that both clients and nurses gained a great deal from and enjoyed the process of this health education programme, and their relationships were improved after the programme. About half of the clients reported having adopted health-enhancing behaviour. The study also revealed discrepancies between the nurses and clients in their perceptions of the objectives of the programme. This indicates that there is a need to clarify the objectives with clients to minimize disappointments from unrealistic expectations.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for the nurse facilitators to clarify the goal of the programme as an education group rather than as a support group. Also, needs assessment is suggested before group member recruitment in order to make the group more homogeneous.

The meaning of mental health from elderly women's perspectives: a basis for health promotion

PROBLEM

To gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of mental health.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews with 16 women between the ages of 71 and 92. The data were collected and analyzed using a phenomenological approach.

FINDINGS

The essence of mental health is the experience of confirmation, trust and confidence in the future, as well as a zest for life, development, and involvement in one's relationship to oneself and to others.

CONCLUSIONS

Creating arenas for encounters confirming the individual's human existence and dignity is an important basis for the psychiatric nurse's health-promotion work.

Psychiatric nursing for promotion of mental health and prevention of depression in the elderly: a case study

The aim of this case study was to describe and analyse the basic pre-conditions for an intervention programme focusing upon mental health promotion and prevention of depression in an elderly community group and to discuss the psychiatric nurse's community-oriented health promotion work. The intervention programme, which was led by a psychiatric nurse, was built on intersectorial co-operation between public and voluntary organizations, development of social networks to promote social support, and target group participation. The nurse's function in the community-oriented work was to act at the individual, group and society level, as well as to mobilize resources among individuals and organizations, in order to create a favourable interaction, resulting in health and empowerment for the individual. Pre-conditions for leading this work were: knowledge of health and mental all health among the elderly, investigation methodology, knowledge about the local society, as well as pedagogical, supervisory and social competence.