According to the CCCN Clinical Practice Standards (2015):
"The cardiovascular nurse assesses ways to enhance health behaviours in the client's lifestyle and environment and fosters the establishment of additional patterns that would result in optimal cardiovascular health. Strategies that are effective in promoting health will lessen the need for curative or rehabilitation services. This proactive approach to nursing also includes the identification of risk and encourages the use of innovative strategies to minimize or eliminate their impact" (p. 8).
CCCN’s national advocacy slogan is "Health Promotion starts with Us". This slogan encourages nurses to take care of their own cardiovascular health by increasing physical activity, minimizing stress, choosing healthy foods and choosing to be tobacco free. CCCN advocates that as healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to try to maintain our own cardiovascular health. In other words, to practice what we preach to our patients!
CCCN works collaboratively with the Heart and Stroke foundation at the local, provincial and national levels in promoting a heart healthy lifestyle for patients, their family members and the general public. In addition, CCCN contributes to the development of policies or guidelines established by other national organizations such as Hypertension Canada/Canadian Hypertension Education Program Tools, the National Sodium Policy and the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check Symbol for Food labeling and Restaurant menu's.
Below is a list of resources that may be helpful in supporting the cardiovascular nurses efforts in health promotion. This includes items such as but not limited to fact sheets, position statements, practice guidelines and general information related to health promotion.
- Women and Heart Disease (2015)
- Sodium Fact Sheet (2019)
- Hypertension Fact Sheet (2017)
- Familial Hypercholesterolemia Fact Sheet (2015)
- HypertensionTalk (includes fact sheets, position statements, calls to action and more)
- Heart and Stroke - Get Healthy (includes tips for health eating, stress reduction and physical activity)
- quitnow.ca Smoking Cessation support
- Restricting Marketing of Unhealthy Food and Beverages to Children in Canada (2017)
- Center for Science in the Public Interest America's Food and Health Watchdog
- Tackling Obesity in Canada in Adults and Children (2018)
- Inequalities in obesity in Canada (2019)
- The Canadian Facts Social Determinants of Health (2010) (Also available in French)