A nursing association's leadership in primary health care: policy, projects, and partnerships in the 1990s.

This paper documents the work of one provincial nursing association, the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC), to promote primary health care (PHC) as the foundation of the health-care system. In 1990 the RNABC embarked on a comprehensive policy program to influence change from a nursing perspective. A wide array of strategies was used over a 10-year period to help make PHC a reality in British Columbia's health-care system. Successful strategies used during this period included: writing and distributing policy papers, conducting and evaluating demonstration projects, and developing partnerships with other groups. Some of the projects and their outcomes are highlighted, followed by a critical reflection on lessons learned through the various initiatives. Although remarkable achievements were made from the RNABC's policy work during the 1990s, the advancement of PHC requires further collaborative efforts using multiple strategies.