Public health nurses' activities at a time of specialization in nursing—A national study.

Objectives: To provide a detailed, up‐to‐date account of the job description and practice areas of current public health nurses. Design and Sample: A cross‐sectional study. A sample of 824 public health nurses, 80% of public health nurses in Israel, participated in a national structured survey. Measures: A structured questionnaire eliciting self‐reported public health nursing activities, priorities, perceived deficiencies, and job satisfaction was compiled. Results: Nearly 70% of surveyed public health nurses provided individual‐level interventions and less population‐health‐focused activities such as community needs assessments and development and implementation of community‐based projects. Conclusions: Advanced training should be required in several areas of practice and the scope of public health nurses' practice should be expanded, with greater emphasis on population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]