RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

A Process Oriented Method Promoting Health Promotion Work Among Personnel In A Local Health Care Centre

Ulla Holmstrom, senior health planner

Western Stockholm medical services. Department Of community health. Beekomberga, E'us 12, S-161 06 Bromma, Sweden

The western Stockholm medical services district's department of community health began its project in 1994. One of the purposes for establishing the department was to promote healthy .activities in the district's 200 000 inhabitants.

The health care act standards state that there should be more preventive activities in primary health care. One of the department's main goals is to develop methods for improving the health promotion work done in local health care centres (LHCC).

To identify a way of achieving this, all personnel working at LHCC were invited to a two-day process orientated discussion about health promotion activities. The main objective was to involve those working in a LHCC in the planning of health promotion work and to allocate more time to it. Another goal was to discuss problems and ideas surrounding the implementation of preventive activities in a LHCC. This was achieved by bringing the personnel together anti initiating a planning process regarding future health promotion activities. During the first day they discussed their attitudes and opinions associated with health promotion and related problems. They also discussed their individual roles in LHCC's mission and their personal vision.

Goals and activities were formulated on the second day. Two key issues stand out as much more important than the others: internal organisation and communication. This increased awareness of the importance of more open discussions between professionals (e.g., physicians and nurses) working in a LHCC. Furthermore. colleagues attitudes and the importance of legitimising each person's role in the health promotional activities was also identified as an important issue.

In summary, the two days demonstrated the importance of the internal organisation and interpersonal relationships in the process of developing health promotion activities. The two days appeared to have been successful.

"These two days helped us raise our heads from the toil of daily work. My awareness of the need of public health projects has improved - dramatically."

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