Elderly clients' perceptions of public health nursing care.
Although the health benefits of illness prevention and health promotion are accepted, little is known about the reasons for which elderly clients attend public health programs or the benefits they perceived from public health nursing care. This study reports the major reasons for which men and women age 60 and over sought care in a public health nursing program and the major benefits they perceived. The sample included 137 new and 360 returning clients. Responses to open-ended questions were content analyzed into categories of like statements, which in turn were placed into overall groups. The results suggest that most clients realized significant benefits from receiving public health care and were able to articulate these benefits. Eliciting client's perceptions can assist public health nurses to implement and market programs in a way that is acceptable and accessible to the recipients.
Laffrey
S C
SC
Department of Mental Health, Community, and Administrative Nursing, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0608.
Renwanz-Boyle
A
A
Slagle
R
R
Guthmiller
A
A
Carter
B
B
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000379:methods*