Public health nurses used 4 strategies to facilitate client empowerment
QUESTION: What is the practical meaning of empowerment to public health nurses and their clients?
Design
Exploratory qualitative design.
Setting
1 urban/rural and 2 rural health units in southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Participants
24 public health nurses (100% women, mean 14.2 y in public health nursing) and 6 clients (83% women).
Methods
Nurses participated in a series of 3 two hour focus groups (5–9 participants per group; 71% participated in all 3 groups). Research questions were addressed using the nominal group technique. The researcher took field notes during the focus groups. Nurses identified clients whom they thought were empowered through their practice, and consenting clients were interviewed for about 1 hour using an interview guide. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. All data were coded and used to develop a model of empowerment.
Main findings
Nurses conceptualised empowerment as an active, internal process of growth that was …
