Imperatives for Integrating Culture of Health Concepts Into Nursing Education

Abstract

Background: In all nursing care, nurses should address the social determinants of health that make it difficult for people to lead healthy lives. The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action recommends transforming nursing education to prepare nurses to address social determinants through building a culture of health. Our study examined integration of culture of health/population health concepts into nursing education and assessed nursing deans' and directors' perceived barriers, facilitators, and readiness to incorporate culture of health into curricula. Method: Modified Delphi techniques were used in two neighboring southern states through two rounds of data collection to develop quantitative surveys in each state. Results: Consensus emerged on the need to integrate population/culture of health concepts into nursing curricula. Deans and directors described barriers and facilitators to educational integration. Conclusion: Population/culture of health concepts must become a fundamental component of nursing education at all educational levels. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(11):605–609.]