CHANNELLING PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING EDUCATION TOWARDS IMPROVING PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES

IN NIGERIA. A PAPER PRESENTED AT ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE/AGM OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING OFFICERS

OF NIGERIA, ABUJA CHAPTER BY

DR (MRS) IJEOMA O. EHIEMERE (FWACN)

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCESUNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, ENUGU CAMPUS.

AT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN DEVELOPMENT CENTRE, ABUJA

ON

OCTOBER, 2015

Most governments, in recent times recognize the contribution of public health programmes in reducing the incidence of disease disability, injury and aging effects. Such programmes include vaccination, good nutrition, food safety, physical exercise, stress control/management and prenatal care. Others are health education and health counseling. All these have made incredible strides in promoting and maintaining health as well as preventing disease.

Terrible infection such as small pox which plagued humanity for thousands of years resulting in mass deaths of populations has been eradicated while poliomyelitis with its high morbidity has also become history in most countries including Nigeria. All these achievements could not have been recorded without reference to the contributions of public health nursing and the practitioners.

Nevertheless, just like all life phenomenon new health challenges are evolving with alarming speed and fatality, while some that were hither to regarded as controlled are re-emerging.

INTRODUCTION

This then underscores the need for regular review and revision of public health nursing education curriculum to meet the changing needs of the students, the society and the new health challenges.Education empowers people to be useful to themselves and to the society.

Hence Public Health Nursing Education (PHNE) based on sound curriculum with appropriate philosophy and covering the cognitive psychomotor and affective domains of behavioral objectives is needed

Products from such programmes will have the confidence needed to provide efficient and effective preventive health care services to populations in their homes, market squares, schools, industries and communities. These cadre of graduates will also make the desired change based on global best practices in this era of change in governance thereby flowing with the philosophy of the government of the day.

INTRODUCTION CONTD.

define the key words in the

topic

discuss the way forward

review briefly history of PHNE

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the paper therefore, are to:

Public Health Nursing

Education (PHNE)

Preventive Healthcare

Services (PHCS

Channelling

Definitions

1.a. The education of the practitioners through organized educational programme. In this perspective PHNE is the process of exposing students through well structured learning experiences both in theory in the classroom and in the community for practicum

1.b. PHNE is concerned with educating various segments of the population providing them with information that promote healthy living. The objective of this aspect of PHNE is to emphasizes the importance of information about health promotion activities in the priority areas of unintentional injury, violence; suicide; tobacco use and addiction, alcohol or other drug use, unintentional pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STD infection, unhealthy dietary patterns and inadequate physical activity.

Definitions Contd.

2. Preventive Health Care Services (PHCS) is anchored in the ability of public health nursing practitioners to identify and understand the factors and mechanism of disease, disability and injury so that effective interventions can be implemented to prevent the occurrence of these adverse processes before they start or before they progress. The anchoring frame work is the levels of prevention especially primary and secondary levels. Primary prevention refers to interventions aimed at preventing the

occurrences of disease, injury or disability.

Intervention at this level include broad efforts such as

(a) Health

promotion

(b) Environmental

protection and

(c) Specific

protection

a. Health promotion Nutrition education and counseling Promotion of physical activity

b. Environmental protectionbasic sanitation, food safety, home & workplace safety, air quality control

(c) Specific protection against (i) Disease - immunization of specific disease, preconception folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects, fluoridation of water supplies to prevent dental caries and action taken to reduce human exposure to agents that may cause cancer. (ii) Injury – proper use of car seat belts infants’ car seats, wearing of crash helmets by motorbike operators and oil workers.

Channelling, according to Websters Dictionary is guiding something in a certain course, structuring and directing through a certain course. In the context of this paper channeling PHNE refers to guiding or structuring the curriculum to produce the right caliber of public health nursing officers who are properly equipped to provide excellent, efficient and effective preventive health care services to the populace.

Secondary prevention is basically concerned with preventing the spread of a disease condition that has occurred or developed. i.e halting its spread of a disease condition that has occurred or developed.

Briefly Historical Review of Public Health Nursing Education

In the United States (US) during the late 1950s and early 1960s, special baccalaureate curricula were established in several schools of public health nursing to prepare nurses to become public health nurses. From the late 1960s public health nursing leaders agreed that a specialty in public health nursing requires a master’s degree. Today a master’s degree in nursing is necessary to be eligible to sit for certification examination as public health specialist, even though it is assumed that a graduate of any baccalaureate nursing programme has necessary basic preparation to function as a beginning staff public health nurse. In the future, according to America Association of Colleges of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) has been proposed to be probably the requirement to sit for certification examination as public health nurse specialist or Advanced Practice Nurse.

These different levels of preparation of public health nurses equip each category with levels of competencies and skills needed to provide sophisticated care with increasing complexities in preventive health care services.

In Nigeria PHNE started with schools of hygiene prominent among which is the school of Hygiene Eleiyele Ibadan established in 1933. Establishment of this school commenced the genesis of a determined effort to formally impart knowledge, skills and attitude that are unique to the field of Public Health Nursing Education Certificates were awarded to the graduands at the end of the training programme. Gradually, this programme transited from certificate awarding institutions to mono technics that now award Higher National Diploma (HND) thus bringing PHNE into the National Tertiary Education System of Nigeria under the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). A good achievement!

This transition led to the development of a more robust curriculum rich in content, process and structure. This is commendable. The products of this programme are proving their worth in many preventive health care service settings, be it in the Public Health Nursing Educational Institutions or practice areas, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC) scheme, at the community levels.

Ph.D

M.Sc

BSC & HND

For example, this figure tells the story

It is worthy to note here, that though the transition of PHNE from schools of Public Health Nursing to Monotechnics under NBTE is not a mean feat given the challenges encountered in the process. Yet it is not time to rest on our oars! Developed countries like the US, UK are still moving a head, introducing innovations in Public Health Nursing Education, Africa and indeed Nigeria cannot afford to “stand still”.

There is still much room for improvement in the education of the next generation of public health nurse practitioners to enable them meet the ever changing preventive health needs and challenges facing the family, community and the society at large. The question now is what next? The way forward?

Briefly Historical Review of Public Health Nursing Education Contd.

Heads of Monotechnics to aspire to obtain higher degrees in Nursing –M.Sc and Ph.D.

Encouraged to prepare and present position papers on the structure, content and process of the HND curriculum to WAHEB which is the regulatory body for the education and practice of public health nursing officers in Nigeria and indeed West Africa.

With the position papers, the Board will be able to dialogue with NUC to provide structure in the Departments of Nursing Science in the Universities, in Nigeria for the holders of HND with the appropriate level of pass to be admitted to pursue masters degree in public/community health nursing as obtains in some other professions.

The Way Forward

Another action that will motivate public health nursing officers to give their best in providing preventive health care services to populations is placing them in leadership positions within PHC scheme in all local government areas across the country.Heads of department ,coordinators of programme, officers in charge of PHC facilities especially those that provide maternal and child health services. Why?

Team work among all stake holders in nursing profession will enhance the quality of preventive health care services to the people. Each specialty contributing her quota will help to bulid up a formidable nursing workforce that will provide excellent health services to humanity, be it preventive or curative, nationally and internationally. This will give us a voice!

Regular review and revision of public health Nursing officers curriculum to meet the ever changing learning needs of students and health needs of the society. Every five years a curriculum is expected to be reviewed.Attendance to international conferences to up date knowledge, skill and attitude, and then stepping the information down for the benefit of those who could not attend.

The Way Forward Contd.

Education factually empowers people to be useful to themselves and to the society. It instills in people, the academic excellence and moral uprightness which constitute those essential things that an adult needs to know and understand in order to be productive member of the society.

Improved health of the people will produce economically productive populations with enhanced quality of life. With enhanced quality of life, there will be peace and harmony in all ramifications. Peaceful environment promotes speedy development.

Conclusion

Effective public health nursing education will bring about changes in the practitioners as well as in families, communities and the society. When such changes occur, learning is said to have taken place.

These changes will then manifest in the life style, nutrition, food safety, sanitation, stress control/management and pre-natal care among the populations.

With this educational empowerment the practitioners will provide the quality of care that recipient will express satisfaction. The PHNE is already on this sound pathway and with determination and hard work, it is sure to evolve progressively into the bright and colourful future we all desire.

Conclusion Contd.

AND THANK YOU ALL

CHEERS

BRAVO