First and foremost, what is public health nursing? Who started it? The term public health nursing originated with Lillian Wald, the first public health nurse, and she also founded the Henry Street Settlement. Prior to the twentieth century, the public health nursing type was called “district nursing.” During this period, public health nurses focused on caring for the poor and sick in their homes while also looking at how to provide care and support in the economic, social, and environmental aspects (Kub et al., 2015).

·         The era of district nursing has strong developments, as well as the role of the nurses at Henry Street Settlement that was founded by Lillian Wald. The success of the settlement was proved by having 3 991 calls from the homes of the sick and 26 600 for nurse visitations, and the other 694 were treated individually in the First Aid room (Kub et al., 2015).

· In the first decade of the twentieth century, the role of public health nurses expanded; it was an opportunity to develop and clarify their role in public health, which included prevention, public education, and social reform to their responsibilities in public health. This was termed a public health campaign. Three public health campaigns happened during this period: environmental sanitation, bacteriological phase, and educational phase. The public health nurses were expected to have major key roles in public health (Kub, et al., 2015).

·         In the year 1912, Lillian Wald founded the National Organization for Public Health Nursing. An organization that sets the standards, services, and education for the new role of public health nurses (Kub et al., 2015).

·         Rockefeller Foundation sponsored a meeting regarding the desirable education and training for public health nurses. This event has resulted in the Goldmark Report on nursing education (Kub, et al., 2015).

·         In The early part of the twentieth century, the focus of care of public health nurses was not only on infectious diseases but also on the care of infants and mothers. The aim is to reduce infant mortality as well as to reduce maternal mortality. These services were extended in rural and distressed areas, which resulted in low mortality rates for both infants and mothers (Clark, 2015).

·         A period came when public health nursing shifted to public health education from caring for the poor and sick in their homes. The focus is on the prevention of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Public health nurses provide evidence-based care interventions. Early prevention is critically important to reduce medical situations of stroke, heart attack, and cancer by stopping smoking, preventing obesity, and incorporating a healthy lifestyle (Curley & Vitale, 2016).

· Policy development has provided the population with better health outcomes, such as affordable health care and the designing of programs that benefited the population. For example, immunization programs, preventive care and screening programs for infants, children, and women, and screening for breast cancer (mammography). In all these health activities, public health nurses played a great role in the delivery of care (Kub, et al., 2015).

·         Public health nurses continued to play a major role from the beginning and after World War 2. A call for increased public health nurses was needed. This time, public health nurses were not working alone but working with other professionals/disciplines in public health.

·         Public health nursing has a rich history. There is so much to learn and be guided by those first public health nurses and leaders who serve as an inspiration for the next generation of public health nurses. Public health nurses have a very important role to play in public health.

References

Clark, M. J. (2015). Population and community health nursing. Pearson.

Curley, A. L. C., Vitale, P.A. (2016). Population-Based Nursing. Concepts and competencies for advanced practice. Springer.

Kub, J., Kulbok, P. A., Glick, D. (2015). Cornerstone documents, milestones, and policies: Shaping the direction of public health nursing. OJIN, 20(2), 3. https://ojin.nursingworld.org/table-of-contents/volume-20-2015/number-2-may-2015/-shaping-the-direction-of-public-health-nursing/ 

-Carmela G January 07, 2024