Population-Based Public Health Nursing Interventions: A Model from Practice

In a changing and complex health care system, public health nurses face challenges to explain their work and contributions to health outcomes. In response to this need, the Minnesota Department of Health, Section of Public Health Nursing, initiated a process to describe public health nursing interventions. The Public Health Nursing Interventions (PHI) Model was developed through a collaborative process by public health nurses at the state and local levels. The purpose of the model was to define more clearly the practice of public health nursing and to describe better the work of public health nurses at the community and systems levels. The PHI model identifies 17 interventions and provides practice examples at the systems, community and individual/family levels. The model defines a broader view of the mission and scope of public health nursing. Practice examples are given for agency staff, administrators, educators, and policy makers.