The partnership model: working with individuals, families, and communities toward a new vision of health.
Increasingly, health professionals must learn to work in new partnership relationships with clients and community to promote health effectively. A partnership requires a transformation of the professional role from chief actor to partner, and the client role from passive recipient to partner. A partnership approach has particular merit in a reformed health care system that increasingly emphasizes active involvement and self-care actions of individuals and families to maintain health and prevent disease. A partnership approach is also important to professionals working with underserved, vulnerable, and/or minority populations. For too long professionals and policymakers have relegated these groups to passive roles in health decision making and action. This article will provide a description of the partnership process as it has been developed and implemented by nurse practitioners in an urban Hispanic community with emphasis on a community partnership. A partnership model is described and compared to the more traditional professional model. A definition and essential criteria for partnership are presented. Finally, a specific example of how the partnership process was implemented at the community level is discussed.
Courtney
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University of Texas, Arlington School of Nursing 76019, USA.
Ballard
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E
Fauver
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S
Gariota
M
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Holland
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L
D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010358:Patient Participation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration