Nursing Profession’s Contribution to Person- and People-Centered Primary Health Care

Abstract

Background: Equity and access to primary health care (PHC) services, particularly nursing services, are key to improving the health and well-being of all people. Nurses, as the largest group of healthcare professionals delivering services wherever people are, have a unique opportunity to put people at the centre of care, making services more effective, efficient and equitable. Objectives: To assess contributions of nurses to person and people-centered PHC. Methods: Analysis of nursing contributions under each of the four sets of the PHC reforms set by the World Health Organization. Results: Evidence and examples of nursing contributions are found in all of the four PHC reform areas. These include: expanding access; addressing problems through prevention; coordination and integration of care; and supporting the development of appropriate, effective and healthy public policies; and linking field-based innovations and policy development to inform evidence-based policy decision making. Conclusions: Nurses have significant contributions in each of the four PHC reform areas. The focus of nursing care on pe ople -centeredness, continuity of care, comprehensiveness and integration of services, which are fundamental to holistic care, is a n essential contribution of nurses to people - centered PHC . Nurses’ contributions can be optimised through p ositive practice environments, a ppropriate workforce planning and implementation and adequate education and quality control though strong regulatory principles and frameworks. P eople-cent e red approaches need to be considered both in health and non-health sectors as part of people-centered society. A strategic role of nurses as partners in services planning and decision-making is one of the key elements to achieve people - centered PHC.