Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J V Zerwekh.
The absence of clear definitions of public health nursing competency have plagued efforts to demonstrate the need for public health nursing programs. This article describes a model that can be used to explain why public health nursing services should be integral to the public agenda.
Thirty experienced public health nurses in western Washington were interviewed to determine how they knew that they had improved their clients' lives. Although they still perceive themselves as making a difference, their remarks reveal that clients' substance abuse and violence are threatening the nurses' own physical and emotional well-being.
To build a common ground for questioning, this paper describes and defines technology, inappropriate technology, technology assessment, and technological regimes that community health nurses confront. Then, control of technology and effects on individual, family, and community are explored. In conclusion, two decision-making guides are proposed to help the home health nurse assess the human effects of technology and to support family decisions about whether technology is appropriate.