Sensitizing Nurses for a Changing Environmental Health Role

Abstract

This paper traces the evolution of a broader environmental health role for nursing by focusing on the health effects of exposure to environmental pollutants and of global environmental change. This evolving role is reviewed through the examination of selected community health nursing texts published during the last several decades. Key role strategies based on this expanded and evolving environmental role are proposed. Finally, a survey is described that is intended to heighten awareness of personal and professional attitudes and behaviors related to the environment.

A Participatory Assessment of Environmental Health Concerns in an Ojibwa Community

“…An example of how ecological stability might impact health is by impacting disease vectors; a loss of biodiversity is postulated to contribute to an increased risk for exposure to Lyme disease (Ostfeld & Keesing, 2000). After reviewing EH content in nursing textbooks, Tiedje and Wood (1995) concluded that although nurses have begun to address the health risks posed by environmental toxins and carcinogens, they have yet to address global ecological hazards. A view of EH that includes ecological influences is also promoted by the National Environmental Health Association (Gordon, 1995) and the World Health Organization (1986).…”

The concept of exposure in environmental health for nursing

“…, Nnoli ). Exposure was referenced by degree of severity as in ‘potential or excessive toxic exposure’ (Tiedje & Wood , Sattler & Lipscomb ) or used only if circumstances related to hazardous levels of toxic pollutants (Sattler et al . ).…”

“…In terms of consequences, a third of the researchers' articles reviewed for this article described adverse consequences of exposure (i.e., symptoms or disease) rather than exposure per se (Rogers et al 2009, Nnoli 2011. Exposure was referenced by degree of severity as in 'potential or excessive toxic exposure' (Tiedje & Wood 1995, Sattler & Lipscomb 2003 or used only if circumstances related to hazardous levels of toxic pollutants (Sattler et al 2008). Exposure was described in terms of adverse health outcomes and posing a threat to human health (American Nurses Association 2007), causing a disease, having an impact on a condition, or adversely affecting health (Rogers 1994).…”

“…A global ecological perspective of the environment was not found in community and public health nursing literature until the mid‐1990s (Neufer , Tiedje & Wood ) despite the well‐publicized environmental disasters of Love Canal, Bhopal and Chernobyl as well as The International Council of Nurses’ (ICN) position statement () on The Nurse's Role in Safeguarding the Human Environment . In the Institute of Medicine's Report on Nursing, Health and Environment (Institute of Medicine IOM ), environmental health was recognized as an important and substantive area of nursing practice.…”

“…A global ecological perspective of the environment was not found in community and public health nursing literature until the mid-1990s (Neufer 1994, Tiedje & Wood 1995 Kim's (2010) first-level analytics were employed to develop a definition of exposure for use in environmental health for nursing. This approach included a critical evaluation of existing definitions by combining prior understanding of a phenomenon of interest with analytical rigour to clarify and refine a theoretically and potentially measurable concept.…”