The primary care role in occupational health nursing

Primary care is a valid, legal responsibility of the practicing occupational health nurse and accounts for a high percentage of the occupational health nurse's daily activities when considered on a local, national, and international level. Historically, the varying definitions of primary care presented have led to confusion among practitioners who are attempting to categorize their services. The author attempts to express a workable interrelationship among these numerous terms including, "primary care," "health promotion," and "disease prevention." The legal, economic, and professional climate is right for the occupational health nurse to assert her role in primary care; the scope and depth in which the occupational health nurse may currently provide primary care has greatly expanded with two current examples being the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and safety and accident prevention programs.