The effectiveness of community health nursing interventions: a literature review.

As the devastating impact of many public health problems becomes more evident nationwide, a need exists for effective programs aimed at community-oriented health promotion. Escalating health care costs, however, severely limit available health care resources, threatening the demise of many public health efforts. During this time of imminent reform in our national health care system, it is imperative for community health nurses to elicit support by demonstrating the efficacy of their interventions (Oda & Boyd, 1987). This article describes services provided by community health nurses and documents the effectiveness of these interventions based on available literature. The programs reviewed represent community health nursing strategies developed in response to the needs of high-risk families, geographic communities, and vulnerable population groups. Both descriptive analyses and outcome-evaluation studies are used to support the effectiveness of home-based and community-centered community health nursing interventions. Recommendations eliciting support for community health nursing practice from legislators, policy makers, practice agencies, professional organizations, educators, and research institutions are included.