Search

Background: The environmental impacts of climate change such as extreme weather, affects human physical and mental health; therefore, including climate change and health is important in nursing education. Despite the recognition of the link between climate change and health, this important knowledge has not yet been systematically integrated into nursing curricula, highlighting the need for immediate action to prepare nurses for these emerging human health challenges., Objectives: The objective of this review was to gain an overview of the existing literature exploring climate change in nursing curricula and answer following questions: DESIGN: Scoping review., Methods: A protocol was created and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist (PRISMA-SrC). Five data bases were searched: CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, PubMed, Scopus and Cochraine, in addition to databases, grey literature was searched from different sources (reference lists, Google). A total of 1055 articles were derived from the search and 47 articles were included in this review. After selection results from selected studies on educational interventions and climate change education, and opinion pieces were charted, followed by a team review and consensus on the findings., Conclusion: This review shows the importance of integrating the topic of climate change into nursing curricula. This integration of climate change-related content into nursing curricula is essential for preparing students, not just for their future roles in healthcare, but also their role in policy and climate justice. These results also reflect strong support from students for that integration. But while progress has been made, further research is essential to evaluate the impacts of these teaching strategies on nursing education., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest This research is not funded., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Climate change is a significant threat to human health across the life cycle. Nurses play an important role in mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to climate change. The use of health care resources, air quality and extreme heat, mental health, and natural disasters are major content areas across undergraduate nursing curricula that influence or are influenced by climate change. Teaching strategies and resources are offered to prepare nursing students to address climate change and human health.

In 2010, the American Nurses Association (ANA) added an environmental health standard to the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice requiring that nurses implement environmental health strategies in nursing practice. To prepare nurse educators to integrate environmental health at all educational levels, nursing faculty members from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments developed environmental health competencies and curricular recommendations that address this need. Internet URLs are included for environmental health curricula for each level of nursing education.

Problem: Although environmental health has been central to nursing practice since the work of Florence Nightingale, the inclusion of environmental health concepts into nursing education has, for the most part, been confined to public health and occupational health nursing. The 1995 Institute of Medicine report, Nursing, Health, and the Environment, clearly stated that environmental health was an important aspect of nursing practice, but nurses were not adequately educated to address such in their practice., Methods: This article highlights the initiatives by nurse educators, faculty development programs, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations to educate and engage nurses in environmental health since 1995, with a focus on the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. The historical summary was developed using professional literature, documents, personal interviews, and survey data., Findings: Nurses responded to the mandates of the 1995 Institute of Medicine report, Nursing, Health, and the Environment, in formal educational programs, through continuing education for nurses, workshops, symposia, and regional faculty development trainings. Since the formation of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, collaborative efforts led to the development of competencies, nursing outreach to organizations such as the American Nursing Association, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to advance practice standards, academic curriculum, and the development of an electronic textbook., Conclusion: The environmental health nursing agenda moved forward since the publication of the 1995 IOM report; however, the development of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments accelerated the educational accomplishments through organizational collaboration., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose The adverse health effects from climate change demand action from the nursing profession. This article examines the calls to action, the status of climate change in nursing education, and challenges and recommendations for nursing education related to climate change and human health. Organizing Construct Discussion paper. Findings The integration of climate change into nursing education is essential so that knowledge, skills, and insights critical for clinical practice in our climate-changing world are incorporated in curricula, practice, research, and policy. Our Ecological Planetary Health Model offers a framework for nursing to integrate relevant climate change education into nursing curricula and professional nursing education. Nursing education can offer a leadership role to address the mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies for climate change. Conclusions An ecological framework is valuable for nursing education regarding climate change through its consideration of political, cultural, economic, and environmental interrelationships on human health and the health of the planet. Knowledge of climate change is important for integration into basic and advanced nursing education, as well as professional education for nurses to address adverse health impacts, climate change responses policy, and advocacy roles. Clinical Relevance For current and future nurses to provide care within a climate-changing environment, nursing education has a mandate to integrate knowledge about climate change issues across all levels of nursing education. Competence in nursing practice follows from knowledge and skill acquisition gained from integration of climate change content into nursing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]