An evaluation of the effectiveness of public health nursing: a case study of the maternal and child health centres in Hong Kong.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of public health nursing in Hong Kong using the maternal and child health centres as a case study. The case study design, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, focused on clients' and nurses' perceptions of the effectiveness of care. The data analysis identified three important factors influencing the effectiveness of care: the need for a health needs data base, the organisation of care and service provision. From these findings the authors suggest that a health needs data base plays an essential role in measuring the effectiveness of care in public health nursing.