A stage planning programme model for health education/health promotion practice

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the validity of a stage planning programme model for health education/health promotion practice in nursing settings and to develop a specific model for this purpose. Background/rationale. The last decade or so has seen a marked increase in the amount of health educational/health promotional activities that nurses are expected to undertake. This has followed concerted calls to make health promotion a familiar and recognized part of nursing practice. Despite this, however, current health-related practices are still unstructured, haphazard and under-evaluated. This state of affairs is further compounded by the lack of any generic and systematic nursing planning process model by which health education/health promotion programmes are applied in practice. This paper puts forward the case for such a model, develops it, and demonstrates its possible application in clinical settings.

Method: A systematic literature review was conducted in order to develop a new theoretical perspective for health promotion/health education nursing practice. The proposed model has evolved from this new perspective. The process of developing this model has drawn on existing contemporary planning models--using them as a means to develop a conceptual framework. Consequently, the proposed model seeks to critique, adapt and adopt some of their components within a nursing context.

Conclusion: If the current situation continues, in which planning process models are not adopted as a routine part of practice, then nursing may well remain a "bystander" in health promotion/health education.