Commentary on Whitehead D (2004) Health-promoting hospitals: the role and function of nursing. Journal of Clinical Nursing 14, 20-27.

摘要

Dean Whitehead provides a comprehensive review of the published literature related to health-promoting hospitals and the role and function of nursing. While he makes many important and relevant comments, his central argument is that nurses should be taking leadership roles in radical health promotion reform, an activity that to date they have failed to grasp. While a leadership role might be desirable, the realities of working in a hospital environment make creating such opportunities extremely difficult. Despite this, there is some evidence that nurses in hospitals undertake activities consistent with a health-promoting hospital approach. Given the environment nurses in hospitals work in, these initiatives should be commended and the effort involved in such change, even though it is relatively small, not underestimated. That nursing could contribute more extensively to the health promotion activities in hospital is surely both desirable and, at least in theory, possible but is not likely to occur without strong support and leadership from the organization as a whole.