Realising nurses' full potential.(editorial)

THIS ISSUE of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand is timely, with articles focusing on primary health care and primary health organisations (PHOs). These articles illustrate the breadth and depth of primary health care nursing in a wide variety of settings.

Primary health care is not a new concept and it can mean different things to different people. However, it can generally be described as a philosophy, a strategy and a level of care. The concept has its genesis in World Health Organisation forums and literature of the 1960s and '70s, where the state of health of people globally was seen as not only unhealthy, but also unjust. (1) Through the political will and commitment of the global community and the use of a new approach to health care--primary health care--it was believed unnecessary deaths and illness could be prevented. This vision brought the relationship between health, well …