A women's health shop: a unique experiment

Area of Science:

• Community health
• Health promotion
• Women's health services

Background:

• A need for accessible, non-clinical health information and advice for women.
• The importance of integrating informal and formal community care.
• The role of nurses in health promotion within a community setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility and popularity of a dedicated women's health shop.
• To assess the impact of a non-clinical setting on health information access.
• To explore the interchange between informal and formal care.

Main Methods:

• A 16-month operation of a women's health shop in Edinburgh.
• Staffing the shop with nurses to provide information and advice.
• Tracking visitor numbers and common discussion topics.

Main Results:

• The shop served 5664 women and 400 men over 16 months.
• An average of 24 people visited daily, with women's health problems being the most discussed topic.
• 17% of female visitors engaged in personal discussions with nurses.

Conclusions:

• The women's health shop provided a valuable and well-utilized community service.
• The non-clinical setting facilitated health promotion and information exchange.
• The model demonstrated a practical approach to enhancing community-based health support.