Introduction
Georgia Public Health Nurses are committed to an evidence-based approach to practice that includes:
- incorporating research findings into practice;
- participating in the scholarly pursuit of new knowledge that will enhance practice;
- and seeking opportunities to support and fund research that will contribute to Public Health Nursing practice and the improvement of health status.
According to the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, nurses are expected to engage in scholarly inquiry to identify, evaluate, refine, and expand the body of knowledge that forms the foundation of its discipline and practice. Nursing knowledge is derived from the sciences and from the humanities. Ongoing scholarly activities are essential to fulfilling a profession’s obligation to society (American Nurses Association, 2001).
The following research agenda represents the priority areas for research relevant to Public Health Nursing in Georgia:
1. Health Disparities
a. Understanding the changing complexities of health disparities within the population
b. Identifying Public Health Nursing interventions that may impact health disparities
2. Public Health Nursing Workforce
a. Understanding the needs of the multi-generational workforce
b. Providing flexible but meaningful programs for the orientation, training and professional development of the current and future workforce
c. Identifying effective strategies to recruit and retain Public Health Nurses
d. Enhancing population health competencies, with particular emphasis on demonstrating how population health practices can be used to generate new revenue
3. Health Outcomes
a. Finding meaningful metrics to measure the contribution that Public Health Nurses make to health outcomes
b. Demonstrating the value of Public Health Nurses in ways that benefit the economy
c. Demonstrate the economic value of Public Health Nurses