Health-care delivery in Cuba: nursing's role in achievement of the goal of 'Health for All'.

The findings of a study of the delivery of nursing care in noninstitutionalized settings in Cuba are presented. The study investigated factors associated with change in health status and the role of nursing in the community to bring about that change since the time of the 1959 revolution. Recommendations of the World Health Organization's 'Goal of Health For All by the Year 2000' provided guidelines for the study. In the pursuit of Health for All, the World Health Organization specifically called for universal coverage with primary health care to include the following essential elements: education covering the prevention and control of major health problems; adequate food, safe water and nutrition; maternal and child health including family planning; immunization against infectious disease; prevention and control of endemic diseases; and treatment of diseases and injuries. Findings of the study suggest that nursing can play an important role in the delivery of health care that meets the World Health Organization's goal of Health for All through universal coverage of primary health care to the defined population.