Public health nurses’ role in promoting health must be made more visible

Nordic School of Public Health NHV 14 June, 2010 Humanities, Medicine, Social sciences

The dissertation shows that Norwegian public health nurses face a number of challenges related to collaboration, boundaries for their knowledge, degree of involvement, and making their role in promoting the health of individuals and local populations more visible.
Clancy’s doctoral dissertation Perceptions of public health nursing practice – on borders and boundaries, visibility and voice, is based on interviews with public health nurses, parents, young people and decision makers as well as observations from local clinics and a school health service in Norway. A national questionnaire survey on collaboration was carried out amongst a sample of public health professionals.
Public health nurses need to become more visible and show the context they are part of, says Anne Clancy who defends her thesis at NHV on the 18th of June.
The results of the dissertation show that being respected is more important to the nurses than authority and status.
Public health nurses have an important function in reporting patterns and trends in public health and promoting public health needs. Clancy says that this function needs to be further developed. Due to low visibility, universal services at local child health clinics can be taken for granted by decision makers.
– The importance of continuity, familiarity with the nurse and nursing services and their role in promoting health can be easily overlooked due to the everyday nature, hidden complexity and health promotive content of many consultations, explains Clancy.
Collaboration is vital in public health. The national survey showed that mental health services are the ones most frequently missed in collaborative relationships.
– Reporting systems that adequately describe public health nursing work are lacking, says Clancy, who hopes that her research will inspire further studies on public health nurses’ role and function in public health. Clancy adds that her research should be of interest for future organizing efforts of health and social services in local communities.

Title of the dissertation: Perceptions of public health nursing practice – on borders and boundaries, visibility and voice

Author: Anne Clancy
Tel: +47 77 05 82 54 (work), +47 90 52 59 18 (mobile)
E-mail: anne.clancy@hih.no
Supervisor: Tommy Svensson
Examiner: Venke Sørlie
Date and venue: Friday June 18, 2010, at 13.00 in the Assembly Hall, NHV
Address: Fredrik Bloms väg 25, Nya Varvet, Gothenburg, Sweden

The dissertation can be ordered at kirsi.gomes@nhv.se. Price: 150 SEK excluding postage

More press releases from Nordic School of Public Health NHV

Cultural understanding can support a feeling of security for Greenlandic families

13 May, 2013 - Nordic School of Public Health NHV

Greenlandic families expecting a baby, often feel safest when care supports cultural elements such as being near to family, home environment and local traditions. Culturally sensitive maternity care, lessens the risk of non-compliance in expecting families and the desire for alternative care solutions can be reduced. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis at the Nordic School of Public Health NHV.

Music therapy in health care increases life quality

20 February, 2013 - Nordic School of Public Health NHV

Gothenburg, Sweden, February 20, 2013. After 35 years as a music therapist, Anci Sandell can now present research findings showing that the therapy methods she uses, increases quality of life for people who are being treated for severe medical or psychosocial conditions. On February 22, she will defend her doctoral thesis ”Musik för kropp och själ – Modell för interaktiv musikterapi” (”Music for Body and Soul – Model for Interactive Music Therapy”) at the Nordic School of Public Health NHV. The defence will be held in Swedish.

Fathers on parental leave becomes committed parents of children with diabetes

15 January, 2013 - Nordic School of Public Health NHV

It is important for the child’s health and wellbeing that the father of a child with diabetes is involved in their everyday lives.
– To support the fathers’ involvement in their children’s daily life and diabetes care, both supportive social structures and gender sensitive health care is necessary, says Åse Boman who is defending her thesis at the Nordic School of Public Health NHV in Gothenburg on the 18th of January.

Collaboration between organizations works only if staff and management deals openly with conflicts

6 December, 2012 - Nordic School of Public Health NHV

Collaboration between organizations has become an increasingly common strategy to develop welfare and manage problems in the welfare systems. A new dissertation reveals fundamental problems at the level of interaction, such as lack of communication and defensive handling of conflicts.
– Conflict is best regarded as a natural part of the human interaction and need to be handled openly in order for collaboration to be effective, says Ingela Furenbäck, Head of Department of Health Science 2 at Kristianstad University. She is defending her thesis at the Nordic School of Public Health NHV on the 13th of December.

All press releases