Health Promoting Hospitals - HPH: The Concept

HPH: The Concept

HPH combines a vision, a concept, and a set of 18 core strategies and 5 standards.

In accordance to health promotion theory, the HPH standards and strategies are based on the principles of the settings approach, empowerment and enablement, participation, a holistic concept of health (somato-psycho-social concept of health), intersectoral cooperation, equity, sustainability, and multi-strategy (Rootman et al. 2001).

In order to realise the full potential of the comprehensive HPH approach for increasing the health gain of hospital patients, staff, and the community, HPH needs to be supported by an organisatial structure: Support from top management, a management structure that embraces all organisatial units, a budget, specific aims and targets, action plans, projects, and programs, standards, guidelines and other tools for implementing health promotion into everyday business. This needs to be supported by evaluation and monitoring, professional training and education, research and dissemination.

One way to implement HPH in a hospital or other health care organisation is by linking HPH aims and targets with quality management, thus understanding health promotion as one specific quality aspect in hospitals and health care. Ideally any managerial or professional decision in an HPH should also consider the health / disease impact of that decision, together with other decision criteria (e.g. effectiveness, sustainability).