The first line of prevention: A public health nursing advocacy video.

Abstract

Public health nurses (PHNs) serve as the first line of prevention in public health and safety threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although PHNs provide vital services to protect communities and populations' health, a pervasive lack of knowledge exists regarding the PHN role among policymakers and the general public. Advocacy for investment in the public health nursing workforce remains a priority as staffing and financial constraints have created sizeable barriers for PHNs during the COVID-19 response. Creating an advocacy video with personal stories from PHNs emerges as a powerful and cost-effective strategy to increase the visibility of PHNs. For this project, interviews with PHNs from COVID-19 hot spots were used to create a 3-min advocacy video. PHNs featured in this video discussed the implications of rerouting resources to combat COVID-19 for the populations they serve. The authors disseminated the video through popular social media venues, public health and nursing organizations and nurse influencers to reach nursing students, faculty, and the public. Over an 8-week period, the video received 2732 views on social media with an average view duration of 2 min. This article includes strategies to maximize the impact of an advocacy video when shared with relevant stakeholders.