The Public Health Intervention Wheel in Norway

Abstract

Objective This study explored experiences Norwegian public health nurses (PHNs) have with using interventions from the Public Health Intervention Wheel (PHIW). Design and Sample The researchers used both quantitative and qualitative measures to explore how Norwegian PHNs use PHIW interventions in their practice. Data were gathered from six focus group meetings with 15 school and 16 family health nurses in Norway. Method Instruments included: (a) demographic data form, (b) the Public Health Intervention Questionnaire developed by the researchers, and (c) focus group questions. Results Following discussion of PHIW interventions in focus groups, PHNs reported they had a clearer understanding of each intervention and they had performed activities in their practice consistent with each of the Wheel interventions. Conclusion Descriptions of the Wheel interventions provided the PHNs with the terminology and language to identify and explain their work in public health nursing practice. Although there are some differences between the United States and Norway in the structure of public health nursing practice, the PHIW is a framework that is applicable to the work of PHNs in Norway.

Norwegian public health nurses’ competence areas

“…The importance of infection control was highlighted during the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Ministry ofHealth and Care Services, 2020). Norwegian PHNs use interventions like surveillance, disease and health event investigation, outreach, screening, and case finding in their work(Glavin et al, 2019).PHNs' ethical competence is prominent in our findings, and this is in line with the competence in non-judgmental acceptance of others found in the literature. For example,Glavin et al (2014) compared the values and beliefs of Norwegian public health nursing with the values and beliefs reflected in cornerstones of U.S. public health nursing and found many similarities.Permeating our findings was the PHNs' holistic thinking: This dovetails with the competence area we identified in the literature, which described a holistic understanding of health at all levels of public health nursing work Fukada (2018).…”

“…Using the PHIW as a framework for PHNs' practice thus provides a common language with which to describe their practice; this, in turn, enables the justification of necessary resources for the work to funding authorities (Minnesota Department of Health, 2019). The PHIW framework is found applicable to a Norwegian setting (Glavin et al, 2019). As such, Norwegian standards for the actions and role of PHNs must be clear to users, management, partners and the PHNs themselves.…”

“…They employ a focus on the population, to strengthen PHNs' capacity to positively impact the health and wellbeing of populations(Cross et al, 2006), and not merely individuals. When exploring the U.S.-developed PHIW in a Norwegian context,Glavin et al (2019) conclude that the PHIW framework, which also focuses on population health, is applicable to a Norwegian setting Dahl (2018). argues that the implementation of practice models (such as the PHIW and administrative directives and resources), as well as explicit emphasis on population health in public health nursing education, may contribute to increased population-based interventions Kemppainen et al (2013).…”

Improving public health sector service delivery in the Free State, South Africa: development of a provincial intervention model

“…Researchers publish the processes they use to develop interventions to improve healthcare to help future developers to improve their approaches, plans and practices. Description of the development of interventions is important because it provides future developers with the terminology and language to identify, conceptualise and explain their rationales and more effectively plan and design context-specific intervention models [ 43 ]. It is important to understand how the models that end up being designed during interventions, complement the traditional ways of doing things for the betterment of a common good such as public health.…”

Twenty years with the public health intervention wheel: Evidence for practice

“…In addition, they conducted a qualitative study to explore how Norwegian PHNs used Wheel interventions. Although there are structural differences in public health services between Norway and the United States, PHNs in the study indicated the Wheel was applicable to their practice and gave them a language to describe their work (Glavin et al., 2019).…”