The nurse collaborates with other health professionals
and the public in promoting community, national,
and international efforts to meet health needs.
8.1 Health needs and concerns
8.2 Responsibilities to the public
8.1 Health needs and concerns
The nursing profession is committed to promoting the health, welfare, and safety
of all people. The nurse has a responsibility to be aware not only of specific health needs of individual patients but also of broader health concerns such as world
hunger, environmental pollution, lack of access to health care, violation of human
rights, and inequitable distribution of nursing and healthcare resources. The availability
and accessibility of high quality health services to all people require both
interdisciplinary planning and collaborative partnerships among health professionals
and others at the community, national, and international levels.
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8.2 Responsibilities to the public
Nurses, individually and collectively, have a responsibility to be knowledgeable
about the health status of the community and existing threats to health and safety.
Through support of and participation in community organizations and groups, the
nurse assists in efforts to educate the public, facilitates informed choice, identifies
conditions and circumstances that contribute to illness, injury and disease, fosters
healthy life styles, and participates in institutional and legislative efforts to promote
health and meet national health objectives. In addition, the nurse supports
initiatives to address barriers to health, such as poverty, homelessness, unsafe living
conditions, abuse and violence, and lack of access to health services.
The nurse also recognizes that health care is provided to culturally diverse
populations in this country and in all parts of the world. In providing care, the
nurse should avoid imposition of the nurse’s own cultural values upon others. The
nurse should affirm human dignity and show respect for the values and practices
associated with different cultures and use approaches to care that reflect awareness
and sensitivity.
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