Jh. Baldwin et al., POPULATION-FOCUSED AND COMMUNITY-BASED NURSING - MOVING TOWARD CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS, Public health nursing, 15(1), 1998, pp. 12-18
Rapid health care delivery system changes combined with the Institute
of Medicine's (1988) call for refocusing public health practice into t
he Core Functions provide an opportunity to shape community/public hea
lth nursing (C/PHN) education and practice for the future. Critical ex
amination is the key to clarifying C/PHN practice. What is the practic
e now? Is it population-focused, community-based, or both? And what do
these terms mean today? The purpose of this paper is to share the aut
hors' thinking about what it is that makes population-focused nursing
''different'' from community-based practice, as well as unique and use
ful to the health care delivery system, through the examination of old
and new terms and concepts. The significance of this article lies in
its ability to encourage dialogue among our colleagues. It is hoped th
at thoughts shared here will stimulate action to define C/PHN practice
in broader arenas.