Review of Literature: Health Promotion 3
Nurses make up the largest population of healthcare workers that provide direct care to patients, therefore they have a critical role in educating the patient to improve health (Hosseini, Torab, Taghdisi, & Vardanjani, 2013). Nursing roles in health promotion include education on disease prevention, slowing or stopping disease progression, and changes in lifestyle to optimize health (Godwin, 2010). Education provided by nurses takes place in variety of settings including schools, communities, work sites, homes, acute care facilities, and long term facilities. Health education includes teaching people healthy living, reduction of risk factors, developmental factors, healthy behaviors, preventive care, and health resources. (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). Taking a holistic approach by assessing the client’s cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical, and environmental needs is essential health education as well as understanding the client’s learning styles (Povlsen, 2011).
With the healthcare system ever evolving, nursing roles and responsibilities are changing. Nurses act as patient advocates, care deliverers and managers, consultants, healers, and researchers to improve patient outcomes and contribute to improvement of the health care system (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). In order to meet the demands of the increase in the population of people with chronic illness, nurses must engage in ongoing evidence based research and evaluation to develop effective strategies for health promotion (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). With more knowledge obtained through data collection the research of the disease process, more effective preventative measures have been discovered and continue to be implemented over time (Richard, et al., 2010). To continue to improve the overall health of society, nurses must continue to identify health improvement
Review of Literature: Health Promotion 4 priorities; improve public understanding of factors of health, disease, and disability; provide objectives and goals for the public