title: Organizing public health nursing for the 1990s: generalist or specialist.
abstract: Since the 1930s, Public Health Nurses (PHNs) have been deployed in most health units in Canada to provide community-based care for all people living in defined geographical areas. PHNs have provided nursing services for all ages and stages for a variety of health and illness states. A literature review and a systematic analysis of the internal and external factors affecting Public Health Nursing practice in this community led to a recommendation to assign nurses to specific target populations (e.g. parent-child, school, adolescent, adult, seniors) instead of assigning responsibility for all health problems in a geographic location. We describe the processes of assessment, analysis, planning and implementation of the change from geographic assignment to target population assignment for Public Health Nurses.
authors.affiliation: Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Department of Public Health Services, Ontario.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Underwood
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Woodcox
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Berkel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ploeg
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D005544:Forecasting; D006288:Health Planning Organizations; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D000078329:Workforce