Commentary: Going to the People--Public Health Nursing Today and Tomorrow.

This article describes the status of public health nursing as an invisible profession, shows that the effectiveness of public health nursing has been documented, clarifies the contribution of public health nursing to population-based services, and proposes neighborhood-oriented nursing as the practice structure for the future. Public health nurses continue to be the biggest group of health professionals upholding the public health infrastructure in local communities. Although public health benefits the public, the practice competencies involved are subtle. A central tenet of practice, according to a qualitative analysis of narratives of expert public health nurses, is to promote family self care.