Health Promoting Hospitals: Concepts, Indexes and Standards

The idea of health promoting hospitals (HPHs) was developed for the first time at the World Summit on Health Promotion in 1986 by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to this idea, hospitals as well as patients, have a significant role in promoting public health in general and promoting the health of its clients and employees. In the health promoting hospitals approach, hospitals are among the best settings to deliver health promotion and prevention services. Therefore, its most important mission is to change the treatment-based approach to a health-centered approach. Health Promoting Hospitals seek to institutionalize the concept of prevention and health promotion among employees, the empowerment of patients in hospitals and the good interaction of hospitals with its community. This approach will result in the improvement of the quality of services provided to the people and communities.