Space, Place, and the Evidence Base: Part II—Rereading Nursing Environment Through Geographical Research

Abstract

This, the second and final article in the short health geography series, articulates how, moving beyond the models and assumptions associated with the metaparadigm of Nursing Environment, as a focused subdisciplinary approach, health geography might provide unique insights into nursing. A case study of a fictional yet somewhat typical children's hospital is presented and demonstrates some wide-ranging geographical issues and research questions (and hence potential geographical data) pertaining to nursing and the allied health professions. Indeed, this broad-brush approach is purposeful to make as many connections as possible to readers with varied theoretical, methodological, empirical, and practice expertise. In addition to the case study, to indicate further how geographical inquiry might locate quite comfortably in nursing research, the article also makes some initial and tentative connections between geography and an established nursing framework for the uptake of research evidence for practice. Although it is acknowledged that geographical inquiry should certainly never have the first call on researching the relationships between nurses and their environments, it is argued that its conceptual focus on space and place provides dedicated and detailed attention and a sound basis for a reformed, "spatialized" route to a more comprehensive understanding. Moreover, it is argued that it also demonstrates great versatility in terms of the scales and the subject matter with which it might engage. Some important issues certainly remain with respect to what might be the correct form of engagement between geographical and nursing research, but arguably, as a reformed disciplinary approach, health geography has the potential to provide a wealth of focused evidence for nursing practice.

Between Youth and Adulthood

“…These young women were disoriented by the lack of coordinated care for their health needs and expressed clear desires for both one Bplace[ for care as well as Bspace[ for discussion of the many issues they had to deal with (see also Andrews and Moon 50,51 ). This problem may be a relatively new one, based on differences in this cohort of 30-yearolds who both appear to experience more stress 52 and may also have a wider repertoire of socially acceptable gender roles compared with those in earlier generations.…”

Patients’ experience of important factors in the healthcare environment in oncology care

“…In addition, numerous conceptual models offer a wide array of definitions and insights into the many spatial aspects of nursing and the environmental patterns that promote health within the individual (Andrews & Moon, 2005a, 2005b; Kolanowski, Litaker, & Catalano, 2002). Geographical studies in nursing refocus on the metaconcept of environment in order to gain understanding about how nursing relates dynamically to space and place (Andrews & Shaw, 2008), and how human experiences, behaviour, and activity in relation to health and well-being might influence and represent space and place (Andrews & Phillips, 2005).…”

Transfusing our lifeblood: Reframing research impact through inter-disciplinary collaboration between health geography and nurse education

“…Fast forward eighty years and the idea of 'nursing environment' re-surfaced within burgeoning mid twentieth century scholarship as a core concept of nursing theory (theories of nursing) (Thorne et al, 1998;Andrews and Moon, 2005b;Andrews, 2016). In particular, nurse theorists pondered and debated what constituted nursing environment.…”