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What influences the nurses' role and identity in health promotion? A narrative review
Pamela Donaghy1, Jane Griffiths2, Christine Greenhalgh3
1Honorary Research Fellow FBMH University of Manchester, UK.
Background:
The World Health Organization has highlighted the central role of nurses in reducing health inequality, while the NHS Fit for the Future Plan emphasises prevention and reinforces the need to strengthen nurses' health-promoting identity.
Aims:
This narrative review examined the factors that influence nurses' health promotion practice and identity.
Methods:
The literature search was guided by the sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation and research type framework, reflecting the exploratory nature of this narrative review. A total of 17 articles, published between 1995 and 2025, were included, spanning diverse geographical contexts, methodologies and publication types.
Results:
Three themes emerged as influencing nurses' engagement in health promotion: education, organisational culture and personal values.
Conclusions:
There remains a significant gap in empirical research on how nurses develop and sustain a health-promoting identity within complex healthcare environments.
Implications For Practice:
Better understanding the factors that shape and sustain a nurse's identity as a health promoter is particularly relevant in community nursing, where health promotion forms a critical aspect of practice in supporting patients with long-term conditions, preventing avoidable hospital admissions and addressing the needs of communities.
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