Hospital in Meeting Comprehensive Health Goals

Abstract

The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion put forward the idea that health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life. This settings approach to HP led to a number of initiatives, among them HPH. The HPH strategy focuses on four areas: promoting the health of patients, promoting the health of staff, changing the organization to a health promoting setting, and promoting the health of the community in the catchments area of the hospital. The need for and the relevance of setting standards for HP in hospitals was realized in the International Network of HPH, which acts as a network of networks linking all national and/or regional networks. It supports the exchange of ideas and strategies implemented in different cultures and health care systems, developing knowledge on strategic issues and enlarging the vision. Nowadays, the International Network of HPH comprises 30 member states, 33 national and/or regional networks and more than 650 hospitals. There is international consensus that patients should be given recommendations, guidance, and support with regard to HP in hospitals. An important element is the activation of the patient’s individual resources and competences in coping with disease. Example of effective intervention of this type of services is the case of Golnik hospital, where introducing specific type of treatment for specific group of patients has developed from hospital vision to national clinical pathway implementation.