Health promotion education for the primary health care team—is current provision adequate for future challenges?

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study which explored the current education and training on health promotion for primary health care professionals in one of the London Health Regions (pre 1994) and the priorities for health promotion training among a selected group of key players in primary health care. The study was carried out in two stages—a questionnaire survey of a range of educational providers and tape-recorded open-ended telephone interviews with the key players. The study highlighted the uneven nature of health promotion course provision within the Region and the thrust towards topic-based courses that emphasise individual approaches to health and secondary or tertiary prevention. The perceived importance and need for multidisciplinary courses expressed by the key players is not reflected by current provision. If the objectives of The Health of the Nation are to be achieved in primary health care then issues of structure, content and focus of health promotion education and training must be addressed.

Key Words:

• Health promotion education
• Primary Health Care Team