Communicating with the public: community-based nursing research and practice

This paper presents examples of community-based nursing research in relation to selected health care trends that affect practice and considers ways the media can help community health nurses be more effective communicators with the public. Research provides evidence that community-based nursing practice includes quality services that can control costs; a focus on disease prevention and health promotion; the organization of services where people live, work, and learn; partnerships and coalitions; service to people across the life span; services to culturally diverse populations; access to services for at-risk populations; development of the community's capacity for health; work with policy makers for policy change; and efforts to make the environment healthier. Two approaches to communication with the public through the media, social marketing and media advocacy, are compared. It is recognized that community health nurses are well prepared and suited for media advocacy. Media advocacy can be used to not only communicate the effectiveness of community-based nursing practice but also to support the community's voice for public health.