Health-Promoting Public Health Nursing (3cr)

Objective

Students learn to develop promotive and preventive public health nursing in a variety of settings. Using foresight information, they work for the promotion of public health and for bridging the health gap between various groups. Students analyse evidence-based knowledge when they plan, implement and evaluate client-centred health promotion. They ground their work on the laws that govern public health nursing and on national and international social and health policy documents. Students know how to assess their clients' resources and factors that protect and strengthen the clients' health. Student help clients recognise their resources, required in the promotion of health, self-care and decision-making. Students are able to detect and support clients, families and communities in need of special support and at risk of marginalisation. Students know how to use the outreach approach to promote the health and wellbeing of clients, families and communities. Students are able to explain the meaning of culture in the promotion of health and wellbeing. They support and cooperate with clients and families from different cultural backgrounds to promote clients' health, wellbeing and ability to function. Students select and use action models which increase clients' participation at individual, group and community level. Together with other professionals and clients, students are able to renew and develop health promotion models and practices. They can explain ethical and legal issues pertaining to the use of communication technology at work. Students use and develop information and communication technology in an innovative, client-centred manner in cooperation with other professionals.

Content

The promotive and preventive approach as a foundation of public health nursing. Prevention of prevailing diseases and detection of risk factors at individual, group and community level. Indicators of health and wellbeing, epidemiological data. Health behaviours in the population, equality in health, health risks. Current research on health promotion and public health nursing. The most important laws for health and social services, health and social policy programmes, recommendations and guidelines, EU and WHO health policy guidelines. Resource-oriented, empowering approach to work. The empowering process of clients (individuals, families, groups, communities), finding means of strengthening clients' resources, health literacy. Supporting clients' self-care and decision-making skills. Dialogue, the cooperative approach, client involvement. The nature of client relationships in public health nursing (e.g. continuity, long-term client relationships). Social exclusion, risks and indicators of marginalisation. Client/community analysis, welfare reports. Community sense, networking, work among clients. Low threshold services (e.g. health counselling points, health kiosks, mobile units). Levels of culture. Psychosocial cultural factors. Cultural and ethical sensitivity in client work. Clients that represent different cultures, e.g. ethnic groups, youth cultures, immigrants. Multicultural networking in public health nursing. Client-centred use and development of action models and work methods. Client-centred use and development of innovative, technology-aided action models and work methods.

Qualifications

No previous studies required

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

1-2
Students are able to assume responsibility for clients' internal and external safety. They use, to an adequate level, dialogic and client-centred discussion and make an effort to involve clients' families and significant others in health care. Students know to an adequate degree how to use appropriate counselling methods to help maintain and promote individuals'/families' health. In their counselling work, students attend to client individuality and self-determination. Students are adequately able to promote clients' and their families' resources and to intervene to fight health risks. They know how to use multi-sectoral teams to promote clients' health. They are able to describe the outcomes and effectiveness of health promotion. Students are able to independently plan and implement target-oriented family-centred public health nursing and make decisions together with clients and their families. Students know how to promote the health of individuals, families, groups, communities and the environment using evidence-based public health nursing methods on adequate level. Students know how to follow up and support clients' individual health, growth and development on adequate level. Students know how to engage in multisectoral collaboration.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

3-4
Students are able to assume responsibility for clients' internal and external safety. They know how to use methods of dialogic and client-centred discussion and encourage clients' families' and significant others' participation in health care. Students know how to use appropriate counselling methods to help maintain and promote individuals'/families' health and to encourage self-care. In their counselling work, students attend to client individuality and self-determination. Students know how to promote clients' and their families' resources and how to intervene to fight health risks. They know how to work in multi-sectoral teams to promote clients' health. They are able to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of health promotion. Students are able to independently plan and implement target-oriented family-centred public health nursing and make decisions together with clients and their families. Students are competent to promote the health of individuals, families, groups, communities and the environment using evidence-based public health nursing methods. Students know how to follow up and support clients' individual health, growth and development. Students are able to engage in multisectoral collaboration.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

5
Students are able to assume responsibility for clients' internal and external safety. They are competent in dialogical and client-centred discussion and encourage clients' families' and significant others' participation in health care. Students know how to counsel individuals/families on the maintenance and promotion of their health and on self-care, using appropriate counseling methods. In their counselling work, students attend to client individuality and self-determination. Students know how to promote clients' and their families' resources and how to intervene to fight health risks. They know how to work in multi-sectoral teams to promote clients' health. They are able to evaluate and argue for the outcomes and effectiveness of health promotion.
Students are able to independently plan, implement and evaluate target-oriented family-centred public health nursing and make decisions together with clients and their families. Students are competent to promote the health of individuals, families, groups, communities and the environment using evidence-based public health nursing methods. Students know how to follow up and support clients' individual health, growth and development. Students know how to implement and evaluate multi-sectoral collaboration in the public health nurse's work.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Fail = 0
Students are unable to assume responsibility for clients' internal and external safety. They do not know how to use
dialogic or client-centred discussion or how to involve clients' families and significant others in health care. Students do not know to an adequate degree how to use counselling methods to help maintain and promote individuals'/families' health. In their counselling work, students do not attend to client individuality or self-determination.Students do not know how to promote clients' and their families' resources or how to intervene to fight health risks on adequate level.They do not know how to use multi-sectoral teams to promote clients' health. They do not recognize outcomes or effectiveness of health promotion. Students are unable to independently plan and implement target-orientied family-centred public health nursing or to make decisions together with clients and their families. Students do not know how to promote the health of individuals, families, groups, communities or the environment and are unable to use evidence-based public health nursing methods. Students do not know how to follow up or support clients' individual health, growth and development. Students do not know how to engage in multisectoral collaboration.

Materials

Haarala, P., Honkanen, H., Mellin, O.-K. & Tervaskanto-Mäentausta, T. 2008. Terveydenhoitajan osaaminen. Edita. Helsinki.

Pietilä, A-M. 2010. Terveyden edistäminen.

Nohynek, H. & Hulkko, T. & Rapola, S. & Strömberg, N. & Kilpi, T. Rokottajan käsikirja (uusin painos).

Current study materials