Identifying Role Functions of Primary Health Care Nurses in China: A Mixed‐Methods Study in Three Northeastern Provinces.

Background: With global aging and the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the primary health care (PHC) system plays a pivotal role in disease prevention and management of NCDs. Nurses, as key PHC members, significantly influence health equity and service quality. Objective: To exa...

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Publicado en:Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 2026; pp. 1 - 15
Autores principales: Zhang, Jiashuo, Qian, Wenna, Li, Jialin, Cui, Mengyao, Xu, Haibo
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell 3/3/2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: 3/3/2026
      vid: 2026
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
      place: Malden, Massachusetts
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        atl: Identifying Role Functions of Primary Health Care Nurses in China: A Mixed‐Methods Study in Three Northeastern Provinces.
      aug:
        au:
          Zhang, Jiashuo
          Qian, Wenna
          Li, Jialin
          Cui, Mengyao
          Xu, Haibo
        affil: School of Nursing,, China Medical University,, Shenyang, China, cmu.edu.tw
      sug:
        subj:
          Primary Health Care Administration
          Nurses by Role Evaluation
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Funding Source
          China
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Focus Groups
          Interviews
          Questionnaires
          Semi-Structured Interview
          Quantitative Studies
          Qualitative Studies
          Natural Language Processing
          Content Analysis
          Descriptive Statistics
          Convenience Sample
          Purposive Sample
          Data Analysis Software
          Family Health
          Preventive Health Care
          Immunization
          Maternal Health Services
          Child Health Services
          Chronic Disease Prevention and Control
          Hypertension Nursing
          Diabetes Mellitus Nursing
          Disease Surveillance
          Home Visits
          Referral and Consultation
          Health Education
          Patient Education
          Multidisciplinary Care Team
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: With global aging and the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the primary health care (PHC) system plays a pivotal role in disease prevention and management of NCDs. Nurses, as key PHC members, significantly influence health equity and service quality. Objective: To examine tasks and role functions of Chinese PHC nurses. Methods: A mixed‐methods convergent study was conducted and reported in accordance with the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) framework. A cross‐sectional survey and focus group interviews with nurses from 10 PHC institutions in Northeast China were conducted. The Chinese Nurses' Task Survey Questionnaire was used to collect data on the tasks of nurses. Face‐to‐face semistructured focus group interviews were conducted to explore the nurses' perceptions, understandings, and attitudes toward their tasks. Quantitative data were collated and analyzed using EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 27.0 software, and qualitative data were analyzed through natural language processing (NLP)–based BERTopic topic modeling and conventional content analysis. The quantitative and qualitative results were integrated, merged, and refined to construct the role functions of PHC nurses in China. Results: A total of 123 PHC nurses (n = 123) completed the survey, and 10 focus group interviews were conducted with 75 participants (n = 75). The results indicated that the current tasks of PHC nurses in China were mainly focused on providing basic medical services, health management, and health education. Three core role functions of Chinese PHC nurses were summarized and refined: guardian of family health, early warner of major diseases, and facilitator of health promotion. Conclusions: Compared with previous studies, the scope of role functions of PHC nurses in China has expanded, with a greater emphasis focus on the management of common NCDs among residents. However, the roles of PHC nurses could not be fully fulfilled, and functional deficiencies still existed. Implications for Nursing Management: Healthcare managers should fundamentally clarify the role positioning and job responsibilities of PHC nurses. Relevant policies and regulations should be formulated, standardized training systems established, financial compensation mechanisms provided, and professional title promotion pathways optimized to maximize the potential of PHC nurses, thereby enhancing the accessibility of medical services.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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