Contributions of Environmental Health Research to Nursing Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v18.n4.1628-1653Keywords:
Nursing, Environmental Health, Environmental Health Education, Environmental PollutionAbstract
Background: Environmental health is a growing and interdisciplinary field where diverse professionals work together to defend public policies, research, education and health. The relevance of the environment has been acknowledged for a long time by nursing, even though the definition and scope of the concept, as well as its impact on health, have evolved over the years. The objective of this review was to identify and analyze environmental health nursing studies published between 2019 and 2023. Content synthesis: 73 articles were included and classified into three categories: Environmental Education, Climate Change and Environmental Pollution and Professional Education. Conclusions: The results suggest that human-caused environmental problems and their health effects are a topic that receives limited discussion, is relegated to elective courses, or is absent from most nursing education curricula. The studies included in this review are positive indicators of the expansion of environmental health nursing research, but modifications to nursing education are still needed so that future nurses are ready to lead transformative mitigation, adaptation, and resilience-building initiatives.
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