Nurses play a significant role in public health and frequently serve in positions of responsibility at public health agencies, nonprofit groups and educational organizations. Public health nurses help the public stay healthy by assisting with the development, promotion and management of public health initiatives. Public health nursing (PHN) is dedicated to researching and implementing best practices for nurses who work in this field. PHN emphasizes preventive care and basic health education to help communities reduce disease, improve quality of life and enable more people to live healthier lives. With these goals in mind, nurses collaborate with local health departments and other organizations to provide health education, study population health changes, work on disease prevention initiatives, and coordinate similar efforts.

While improvements in healthcare and scientific knowledge also made an impact, great strides in public health caused significant improvements in life expectancy for many people living in the developed world over the past few centuries. Basic changes such as the introduction of indoor plumbing and better hygiene practices reduced disease transmission and enabled people