2024 Volume 13 Issue 3 Pages 158-166
Purpose: This study aimed to identify public health nursing art to improve the existing municipal public health services.
Methods: The participants were seven public health nurses with ≥5 years of experience who had previously successfully improved public health services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data were transcribed and descriptively analyzed.
Results: The improvement of public health services could be categorized, which included “determining the need for improved public health services,” followed by considering “efficient and effective improvement measures” and tailoring these “measures to regional characteristics,” or “considering improvement measures that directly address implementation issues.” Public health nurses had to “build organizational consensus” and provide “on-the-job trainings to improve implementation” as needed. Throughout these processes, public health nurses and other stakeholders promoted decision making.
Discussion: “Considering improvement measures that directly address implementation issues” constituted public health services art by modifying certain methods and contents of the health services. The results suggest two types of improvement processes for public health services; aiming for effectiveness and efficiency through careful consideration and continuity by promptly addressing implementation issues.
