Situating nursing science and public health within a shared context

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Public Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Nursing has a strong foundation for promoting health equity.
• Social and structural determinants significantly impact health outcomes.
• Integrating disciplines can address health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore opportunities of situating nursing science and public health in a shared context.
• To examine the potential of housing nursing departments within colleges of public health.
• To discuss benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Main Methods:

• This is an editorial discussing theoretical opportunities and challenges.
• It highlights a specific structural model: nursing departments within public health colleges.
• Analysis focuses on potential for collaboration and discovery.

Main Results:

• Situating nursing within public health offers avenues to promote health equity.
• Shared contexts create natural starting points for collaboration and discovery.
• Challenges exist but are outweighed by benefits for transforming health approaches.

Conclusions:

• Integrating nursing science and public health fosters a more equitable future.
• Collaboration can help interrogate past harms and transform health strategies.
• A shared context enhances both disciplines' ability to address social determinants of health.