Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-1989
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Major
Health Promotion and Health Education
Major Professor
James J. Neurens
Committee Members
Robert Pursley, Bill C. Wallace, Carl Wust
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to analyze the current status of health promotion programs in North Carolina hospitals in order to ascertain the influence of type of hospital ownership on the offering of such programs. The key elements considered were: number and types of programs offered, target audiences, coordination of programs within the hospital, plarming with other community organizations, methods of financing, types of health personnel involved, evaluation techniques used, attitudes toward offering programs, and types of facilities available.
A survey was mailed to the one hundred and twenty-eight short-term community hospitals in the state. Eighty hospitals completed the survey, which represented a return rate of sixty-two percent. For purposes of analysis, the population was divided into two groups, nonprofit hospitals and proprietary hospitals.
Findings include the fact that more than 95 percent of nonprofit and 100 percent of proprietary hospitals offer at least one type of health promotion program. The offering of health promotion is seen as both a public relations tool and a needed community service. Hospital employees are the target group for the largest number of programs. Frequently more than one department coordinates activities, and nurses, nutritionists, and physicians are the staff members most often involved with programs. Proprietary hospitals usually charged no fee for programs, while nonprofit institutions charged a small fee.
Based on the findings, it was concluded that neither hospital ownership nor size influenced the offering of health promotion programs, and that programs are likely to increase in the future. Overall coordination of programs is lacking, and existing hospital personnel are utilized rather than hiring more highly specialized staff.
Additionally, the DRGs do not appear to have had a limiting effect on the offering of health promotion programs. While there are some differences in the types of programs offered by nonprofit and proprietary hospitals, the trend toward an increasing number of proprietary hospitals will not adversely affect the availability of such programs.
Recommended Citation
Stevens, Christine Dorresteyn, "An analysis of health promotion programs in North Carolina hospitals. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1989.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/11773
