Nursing science and public health: contributions to the discipline of nursing.

This column highlights the unique relationship of nursing science and public health in the broader context of the discipline of nursing and healthcare. An integrated framework is used to illustrate that nursing knowledge is the product of interaction and interdependence of four domains -the discipline and science of nursing, the philosophy of nursing, the nursing profession, and nursing practice. In the context of the integrated framework, knowledge specific to public health nursing is shown to inform the discipline of nursing and other health disciplines. Ongoing challenges related to clarifying and describing unique contributions to nursing and public health are explored. In addition, under utilization of theoretical and conceptual nursing knowledge from public health nursing for the advancement nursing science in education, practice, and research is addressed.