DBfK calls for the expansion of preventive healthcare structures
06.08.2025 16:59
The current DKV Report 2025 reveals sobering figures: Only two percent of Germans meet all the criteria for a completely healthy lifestyle, and digital health literacy is rated critically among more than half of those surveyed. In light of these findings, the German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) is urgently calling for the creation of more comprehensive, preventative healthcare structures. The establishment of community health nurses and school health nurses is essential for this.
„These alarming findings make one thing clear: We urgently need more preventive healthcare structures that are comprehensive and implemented in people's everyday lives,“ says DBfK President Vera Lux. „Many people don't know what benefits their health, need help implementing it, or know how to correctly evaluate information. Community health nurses and school health workers can provide targeted support here: with practical health education starting in school, as well as on-site advice and guidance. Especially in a society where many people are overwhelmed by health information, professional guidance is essential: Community health nurses and school health workers play a central role here – they promote health literacy in an accessible, everyday way, and where health originates: in the neighborhood and at school.“
Why Community Health Nurses and School Health Nurses Are So Important
- They provide confidential support and advice in personal life.
- She supporting people with chronic illnesses throughout the entire care process, including self-management – even in childhood.
- They mediate health-related skills, for example, on exercise, nutrition and stress management.
- They link existing offers with individual consultation – especially for those who have not yet been reached by prevention services.
“"Politicians must act now: The Nursing Competence Act and the announced Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Act must pave the way for community health nurses to work independently and for their services to benefit public health to be funded comprehensively and sustainably. But we can also start much earlier by establishing school health nurses in schools across the board. The earlier health literacy is acquired, the better," says Lux. "Health promotion must not remain a purely private matter, but must be understood as a societal responsibility and be implemented in all areas of people's lives."“