Evaluating health promotion: a model for nursing practice

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the place and validity of effective process in evaluating health promotion practice in nursing and, in doing so, develop a specific model for this purpose.

Background/rationale: The failure of many nurses to provide successful health promotional programmes is underpinned by a distinct lack of evaluation research activity. Without this type of activity, health-related nursing practice remains limited in its scope and nature. This article seeks to redress this situation by proposing a specific evaluation model that assists the nurse in their attempts to include evaluative research activity in future health promotion practice.

Method: This article draws on existing literature to develop an evolving theoretical perspective for health promotion practice in nursing. The proposed model was developed from this perspective.

Conclusion: Evaluation is an essential activity for any health promotion programme. Failure to include it in practice ensures that attempts to conduct health promotion are usually rendered ineffective and unsuccessful. Evaluation models are valuable tools that nurses can incorporate routinely into existing frameworks of practice, alongside other models of health education/health promotion, such as planning models. The development of this model is intended to enable nurses to review their current practice and offer a further framework for those who wish to extend their current health promotion repertoire.