This article examines the evolution, development, and current status of community health nursing in the People's Republic of China. Although its origin in China went back as early as the 1920s, community health nursing in the contemporary American sense was a recent development after the 1980s. Specifically, the article reviews the delivery models and service areas of community health nursing and discusses its current challenges. Based on original government policy documents, first-hand field knowledge, and published literature in both English and Chinese, the article also provides an account of the latest developments and elaborates on the implications of these policies for future community health nursing development in China.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Community Health [in Chinese]. (1993). In J. Y. Lin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nursing sciences (pp. 1604-1606). Beijing: Jiangxi Science & Technology Press.
2.
Davis, A., & Martinson, I. (1999). Care for chronically ill children and elderly in the People's Republic of China. Nursing and Health Sciences, 1, 229-233.
3.
Dong, X. Q., & Cai, Z. M. (2001). Major issues and tackling strategies in community health for the City of Changzhou [in Chinese]. Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration, 17(3), 155-158.
4.
Edwards, N., Bunn, H., Wang, C., & Zou, D. H. (1999). Building community health nursing in the People's Republic of China: A partnership between Schools of Nursing in Ottawa, Canada, and Tianjin, China. Public Health Nursing, 16, 140-145.
5.
Fang, B. (2001, September 3). On the trail of a killer. Slow to respond, China faces a spreading HIV-AIDS epidemic. U.S. News & World Report, 131(8), 22-26.
Li, X. H. (2000). Community nursing [in Chinese]. In Q. Guo (Ed.), Theory & practice of community health service (pp. 145-158). Guangzhou, China: Jinan University Press.
8.
Lin, J. Y. (Ed.). (2001). Community nursing [in Chinese]. Beijing: Science Publishing Company.
9.
Liu, H., Zhong, Q., & Huang G. (2001). The effect analysis of tuberculosis control project loaned by World Bank in Guangdong province [in Chinese]. Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases, 24(8), 477-480.
10.
Ministry of Public Health. (2002). (Tentative) guidelines for administrating and managing community health nursing [in Chinese]. Unpublished government document.
11.
Ministry of Public Health Bureau of Scientific and Technical Education. (2000). In-service training outlines for community health nurses [in Chinese]. Unpublished government document.
12.
National STD Surveillance Cooperative Group. (1993). STD epidemiologic analysis in 16 cities during the period 1987-1990 [in Chinese]. Journal of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 15, 6-11.
13.
Orchard, C. A., & Karmaliani, R. (1999). Community development specialists in nursing for developing countries. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31, 295-299.
14.
Ten Ministries and Commissions. (1999). Guidelines for the development of urban community health services [in Chinese]. Unpublished government document.
Wang, C. S. (2000). Work plan for Chinese Nursing Association for the year 2000 [in Chinese]. Journal of Chinese Nursing, 35, 127-128.
17.
Wang, S. F. (Ed.). (2001). Community health nursing [in Chinese]. Beijing: People's Military Medical Publisher.
18.
Willcox, P. A. (2001). Drug-resistant tuberculosis: Worldwide trends, problems specific to Eastern Europe and other hotspots, and the threat to developing countries. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 7, 148-153.
19.
Xu, J. M. (1997). Community health nursing [in Chinese]. In M. Kamata & S. Chen. (Eds.), New science of nursing (pp. 538-544). Shanghai, China: Shanghai Medical University Press.
20.
Xu, Z., Xu, Y., Sun, J., & Zhang, J. (2001). Globalization and tertiary nursing education in post-Mao China: A preliminary assessment. Nursing and Health Sciences, 3(4), 179-187.
21.
Yu, E. S. H., Xie, Q., Zhang, K., Lu, P., & Chan, L. L. (1996). HIV infection and AIDS in China, 1985 through 1994. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 1116-1122.
22.
Zhao, S., Xu, Z., & Lu, Y. (2000). A mathematical model of hepatitis B virus transmission and its application for vaccination strategy in China. International Journal of Epidemiology, 29, 744-752.
23.
Zheng, X. X., Hinshaw, A. S., Yu, M. Y., Guo, G. F., & Oakley, D. J. (2001). Building international partnerships. International Nursing Review, 48, 117-121.
