PERCEPTIONS OF CHANGES IN PUBLIC-HEALTH NURSING PRACTICE - A CANADIANPERSPECTIVE

This paper describes public health nurses' perceptions of changes in t heir practice. The participants were 28 public health staff nurses fro m six Alberta, Canada health units serving urban and rural populations . Data were collected in 1993-94 using individual and focus group inte rviews. Content analysis was used to identify the following themes: '' pulling back'', ''from hands on to arms length'', ''handing over respo nsibility'', ''developing working partnerships'' and ''doing less surv eillance''. These themes are discussed in terms of their implications for population health and for public health nursing, using as a point of reference the principles of Primary Health Care. Continuing researc h is needed to chronicle further changes in public health nursing prac tice that will result from health care restructuring and health system reform. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.