Differences in technology among subspecialties in community health nursing

Interest in differentiating community health nursing from home health nursing has focused on theoretical models, concepts, and examinations of the historical origins and evolution of the roles. Although not usually included in the recent differentiation efforts, school and occupational health nursing traditionally have been considered important subspecialties of community health nursing. Utilizing an approach to technology developed by organizational researchers and focusing not on hardware and equipment, but on the characteristics of the raw materials and techniques employed, this study examined the differences among public health/community health, home health, school health, and occupational health on the three technological dimensions of uncertainty, instability, and variability. Survey data from nurses in the four areas (N = 40) were utilized. Results indicated that home health nursing differed significantly from the other groups on the dimensions of uncertainty and instability.