Nurses working in partnership with their community.

ACHIEVING HEALTH in a Rural Community: A case study of nurse-community partnership, a book outlining the evolution of a community-owned health service in southern rural Hawke's Bay, has just been published. Written by nurse researcher Merian Litchfield, the 192-page book charts the development of health services in Takapau, with a population of 2675, and Norsewood, with a population of 1164.

The Takapau Community Health Chart table Trust wanted an independent review of the rural health centre services to show how they evolved to address local health care needs. Litchfield was approached to research and write such a review.

Litchfield said the model of rural health services at Takapau Health Centre and its outreach Norsewood and Districts Health Centre was unique, operating as a partnership between the communities and the rural health nurses, in the absence of doctors. Her work on the book, which began in 1999, had been very satisfying and rewarding "because so much of nursing is not articulated and therefore not seen".

One of the points that emerged very clearly was that the rural health nurses were not doing the work of GPs. "The nurses are the interface between people's rural lives and the health services. The book shows how nurses can work to get the greatest benefit out of medical services which are located in the towns."

She said the nursing was complementary to medicine, not replacing it "and the community is quite clear about that".

Litchfield said her book clearly showed how nurses could work in partnership with the community. "That principle could be taken up anywhere around the country."

Seven hundred copies have been printed and are being distributed as widely as possible. The book is available for $35 from Litchfield at ph 04 476 4161 or email [e-mail]. It is also available through NZNO's library.

Litchfield received funding from the Nursing Education and Research Foundation initially and towards publication costs.