History of Public Health Nursing in the Philippines
Year Event
1577 ∙ Franciscan Friar Juan Clemente opened a medical dispensary in Intramuros (the old walled city of Manila) for the
indigent.
1690 ∙ Dominican Father Juan de Pergero worked toward installing a water system in San Juan del Monte (now San Juan City,
Metro Manila).
1805 ∙ Smallpox vaccination was introduced by Dr. Francisco de Balmis, the personal physician of King Charles IV of Spain who
came to the Philippines.
1876 ∙ The medicos titulares worked as provincial health officer.
1888 ∙ A 2 year course consisting of fundamental medical and dental subjects was first offered in the University of Santo Tomas,
graduate of this course known as cirujanos ministrantes served as male nurses and sanitation inspectors.
1901 ∙ The United States Philippine Commission, through Act 157, created the Board of Health of the Philippine Islands, with a
Commissioner of Public Health as its chief executive officer. The Board of Health eventually evolved into what is now the
Department of Health.
1912 ▪ Act # 2156 or Fajardo Act created the Sanitary Divisions, the
forerunners of present MHOs; male nurses performs the functions of
doctors
1915 ▪ The Philippine General Hospital began to extend public health
nursing services in th homes of patients by organizing a unit called
Social and Home Care Services with two nurses as staff.
1919 ▪ Act # 2808 (Nurses Law was created) – Carmen del Rosario, 1st
Filipino Nurse supervisor under Bureau of Health
1947 ▪ The department of Health was reorganized into bureaus: quarantine
hospitals that took charge of municipal and charity clinics, and health
with the sanitary division under it. The reorganization also placed the
administration of city health departments at the bureau level.
1954 ▪ Congress passed R.A. 1082 or the Rural Health Act that provided for the creation of a rural health unit in
every municipality. Furthermore , R.A. 1082 provided for the employment of physicians to serve as Municipal
Health Officers, public health nurses, midwives , and sanitation inspectors in the rural health units. It also
provided for a provincial health officer for each province and a public health dentist for each congressional
district.
1957 ▪ RA 1891 amended some sections of RA 1082 and created the eight categories of rural health unit causing an
increase in the demand for the community health personnel.
1958 ▪ Regional Health offices were created as a result of decentralization efforts.
1970 ▪ The Philippine health care delivery was restructured, paving the way for the health care system that that
exist to this day where health services are classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
1954 ▪ Congress passed R.A. 1082 or the Rural Health Act that provided for the creation of a rural health unit in
every municipality. Furthermore , R.A. 1082 provided for the employment of physicians to serve as Municipal
Health Officers, public health nurses, midwives , and sanitation inspectors in the rural health units. It also
provided for a provincial health officer for each province and a public health dentist for each congressional
district.
1957 ▪ RA 1891 amended some sections of RA 1082 and created the eight categories of rural health unit causing an
increase in the demand for the community health personnel.
1958 ▪ Regional Health offices were created as a result of decentralization efforts.
1970 ▪ The Philippine health care delivery was restructured, paving the way for the health care system that that
exist to this day where health services are classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Standards of Public Health Nursing Practice (ANA 2007)
Standards of Care
Standard 1. Assessment The public health nurse collects comprehensive data pertinent to the health status of
populations.
Standard 2. Population diagnosis and priorities The public health nurse analyzes the assessment data to
determine the population diagnosis and priorities.
Standard 3. Outcomes Identification The public health nurse identifies expected outcomes for a plan that is based on
population diagnoses and priorities.
Standard 4. Planning The public health nurse develops a plan that reflects best
practices by identifying strategies, action plans, and alternative to attain expected
outcomes.
Standard 5. Implementation The public health nurse implements the identified plan by partnering with others.
a. Coordination Coordinates programs, services and other activities to implement the identified plan.
a. Health education and Employs multiple strategies to promote health, prevent disease, and ensure a safe
health promotion environment for populations.
a. Consultation Provides consultation to various community groups and officials to facilitate the
implementation of programs and services.
a. Regulatory activities Identifies, interprets, and implements public health laws,
regulations, and policies.
Standard 6. Evaluation The public health nurse evaluates the health status of the
Population.
Standards of professional performance
Standard 7. Quality of practice The public health nurse systematically enhances the quality and effectiveness of nursing
practice.
Standard 8. Education The public health nurse attains knowledge and competency that reflects current nursing
and public health practice.
Standard 9. Professional practice evaluation The public health nurse evaluates one’s own nursing practice in relation to professional
practice standards and guidelines, relevant statutes, rules, and regulation
Standard 10. Collegiality and professional The public health nurse establishes collegial partnerships while interacting with
Relationships representatives of the population, organizations and health and human services
professionals, and contributes to the professional development of peers, students, colleagues
and others.
Standard 11. Collaboration The public health nurse collaborates with the representatives of the population,
organizations, and health and human services professionals, in providing for and promoting
the health of the population.
Standard 12. Ethics The public health nurse integrates ethical provision in all areas of practice.
Standard 13. Research The public health nurse integrates research findings in practice.
Standard 14. Resource utilization population The public health nurse considers factors related to safety, effectiveness, cost, and impact on
practice and in the planning and delivery of nursing and public health programs, policies, and
services.
Standard 15. Leadership The public health nurse provides leadership in nursing and public health.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Community Health Nurse
Community health nursing is not fundamentally different from that of clinical nursing limited to the four
corners of the hospital. This also promotes wellness and prevents illness through education and health
teachings, provides comfort and care through its delicate nursing care interventions, and emphasizes
curative and rehabilitative interventions through individualized efficient approaches. But its peculiarity
involves not only caring for single client but also extending thru the entire family and the community.
1. Clinician – focus is on the health of the population or individuals on the larger context of the community.
Provides nursing care to the sick and disabled in order to reduce disease, discomfort, disability, and
premature death, among others.
2. Advocate – speaks or acts for those who cannot speak/ act for themselves. Advocates for self-care and
self - determination.
3. Collaborator – brings together strengths and weakness of people involved toward a common goal. She
works with people in the community toward a common goal and relies on joint or shared decision making.
4. Consultant – catalyst to bring change, helping people understand processes and actions, and assisting
them in making decisions.
5. Counselor – listens and provides feedback and information, strengthens and guides
people’s own decision making skills, and explores feelings and attitudes for people
understand themselves and their decisions.
6. Educator- acts as a health educator which is one of her most important roles as
Community Health Nurse. The CHN provides the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by
the community members for self-efficacy in making decisions and empowerment. Enables
client to make informed decisions, identifies populations at risk, and explores learning
strategies.
7. Researcher- utilizes data to predict future phenomenon and modify interventions. Reliable
research foundation allows nurses to anticipate potential health problems and interventions.
Identifies research problems, works with data, and conducts research.
8. Case manager- coordinates care in a system that is made up of different programs which
has different policies, services and mission in order to avoid the gaps in services and
breakdown in the care system.