K.T. verified the first and the second phases of the concept mapping process. Nurses are high level thinkers with exceptional skills and considerable ability to communicate, negotiate, coordinate, and collaborate in order to deliver care (Sullivan, 2004). The management of health promotion projects is particularly important, although only three studies (Whitehead, 2006b; Witt and Puntel de Almeida, 2008; Fagerström, 2009) described the type of expertise possessed by such managers. (iv) What factors contribute to nurses' ability to carry out health promotion? All nurses are expected to promote patients’ health and this includes physical and psychological wellbeing. Methods and implications, The integrative review: updated methodology, Health promotion: facilitators and barriers perceived by district nurses, Identification of nurses' competencies in primary health care through a Delphi study in Southern Brazil, © The Author (2012). According to these papers nurses implemented a range of types of health promotion activity and applied different health promotion expertise across a wide range of nursing contexts. Although these studies found empowerment to be one of the most important theoretical bases for health promotion activities by nurses, empowerment was not embedded in nurses' health promotion activities (Irvine, 2007). During a home visit to discuss newborn care, it is the perfect opportunity for the nurse to discuss the childhood vaccine schedule, recommended vitamin supplements or even the developmental milestones of an older sibling. Nurses should be able to plan, implement and evaluate health promotion interventions and projects (Runciman et al., 2006; Whitehead, 2006b; Witt and Puntel de Almeida, 2008; Fagerström, 2009). Health promotion by nurses is associated with common universal principles of nursing. These theoretical foundations were considered to represent the main concepts of health promotion orientation and public health orientation in this review (Figure 1). A number of studies found that nurses' health promotion activities were based on multidisciplinary knowledge (e.g. Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic, The perceived health promotion practice of nurses in Saudi Arabia, Gaining insight into the implementation of an e-learning smoking cessation course in Latin American countries, Community health agents, nurses and physicians conducting research in Brazil’s family health program, How far are we from full implementation of health promoting workplace concepts? This research received a specific grant from The Finnish Foundation for Nurse Education and The Finnish Nurses Association. The searches were limited to studies published during the period 1998–2011 because, prior to 1998, nurses' health promotion practice was mainly linked to health education. We considered that these could be classified as either supportive or discouraging (Figure 4). Nurses' knowledge of health promotion and their relevant practical skills were described in 18 research papers (McDonald, 1998; Nacion et al., 2000; Burge and Fair, 2003; Whitehead, 2003; Hopia et al., 2004; Reeve et al., 2004; Spear, 2004; Cross, 2005; Irvine, 2005, 2007; Rush et al., 2005; Jerden et al., 2006; Casey, 2007b; Kelley and Abraham, 2007; Piper, 2008; Witt and Puntel de Almeida, 2008; Wilhelmsson and Lindberg, 2009; Goodman et al., 2011). A guide for literature reviews, Accident and emergency nurses' attitudes towards health promotion, Developing the scope of practice and education for advanced practice nurses in Finland, Clinician reflections on promotion of healthy behaviours in primary care practice, Activity promotion for community-dwelling older people: a survey of the contribution of primary care nurses, A nurse- and pharmacist-led treatment advice clinic for patients attending an HIV outpatient clinic, Promoting health for families of children with chronic conditions, Exploring district nursing competencies in health promotion: the use of the Delphi technique, Examining the correspondence of theoretical and real interpretations of health promotion, Experiences of Swedish community health nurses working with health promotion and a patient-held health record, Improving understanding and rigour through triangulation: an exemplar based on patient participation in interaction, Systematic review of the effectiveness of primary care nursing, International Journal of Nursing Practice, Health promotion for people aged over 65 years in hospitals: nurses' perceptions about their role, Integrative nursing research—an important strategy to further the development of nursing science and nursing practice, The role of Project 2000 educated nurses in health promotion within the hospital setting, The future of nursing education: characterised by paradoxes, Validating the safety of nurse-health advocate services, Human constructivism: a unification of psychological and epistemological phenomena in meaning making, International Journal of Personal Construct Psychology, Meaningful learning: the essential factor for conceptual change in limited or appropriate propositional hierarchies (LIPHs) leading to empowerment of learners, Results and implications of a 12-year longitudinal study of science concept learning, Practice nursing in Australia: a review of education and career pathways, A qualitative study exploring the relationship between nursing and health promotion language, theory and practice, Holism in nursing and health promotion: distinct or related perspectives?—a literature review, Health promotion attitudes and practices of Texas nurse practitioners, Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Health promotion and disease prevention among nurses working in local public health organizations in Montreal, Quebec, Community nurses' health promotion work with older people, Health promotion ideology and nursing education, Nurses as imperfect role models for health promotion, Primary health care nurses' promotion of involuntary migrant families' health, Community health promotion nursing practice, Nurses' attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs related to the promotion of breastfeeding among women who bear children during adolescence, Nurse-led heart failure clinics improve survival and self-care behavior in patients with heart failure.