Sustainability in nursing: a concept analysis

Abstract

AimThe aim of this study was to describe, explore and explain the concept of sustainability in nursing.BackgroundAlthough researchers in nursing and medicine have emphasised the issue of sustainability and health, the concept of sustainability in nursing is undefined and poorly researched. A need exists for theoretical and empirical studies of sustainability in nursing.DesignConcept analysis as developed by Walker and Avant.MethodData were derived from dictionaries, international healthcare organisations and literature searches in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Inclusive years for the search ranged from 1990 to 2012. A total of fourteen articles were found that referred to sustainability in nursing.ResultsSustainability in nursing involves six defining attributes: ecology, environment, future, globalism, holism and maintenance. Antecedents of sustainability require climate change, environmental impact and awareness, confidence in the future, responsibility and a willingness to change. Consequences of sustainability in nursing include education in the areas of ecology, environment and sustainable development as well as sustainability as a part of nursing academic programs and in the description of the academic subject of nursing. Sustainability should also be part of national and international healthcare organisations. The concept was clarified herein by giving it a definition.ConclusionSustainability in nursing was explored and found to contribute to sustainable development, with the ultimate goal of maintaining an environment that does not harm current and future generations′ opportunities for good health. This concept analysis provides recommendations for the healthcare sector to incorporate sustainability and provides recommendations for future research.

Environmental responsibility in hospital care: Findings from a qualitative study

“…[7] Controlling climate change and chemical emissions is central to environmental responsibility, which is based on ethical demands to protect people's health and wellbeing on Earth. [8,9] In hospital care, environmental responsibility has traditionally been regarded as a secondary issue that falls outside the core mission. [10][11][12][13] However, it has been identified as an essential part of patient care from a health promotion perspective, [1,8,9,11] and the role that healthcare professionals play in tackling environmental issues has been emphasized.…”

“…[8,9] In hospital care, environmental responsibility has traditionally been regarded as a secondary issue that falls outside the core mission. [10][11][12][13] However, it has been identified as an essential part of patient care from a health promotion perspective, [1,8,9,11] and the role that healthcare professionals play in tackling environmental issues has been emphasized. [2,9,14] Indeed, environmental responsibility refers to people's behavior, [3,4] but it also includes the actions taken by organizations to protect the world around them.…”

Currículum enfermero y estrategias pedagógicas en materia de sostenibilidad medioambiental en los procesos de salud y cuidado

“…Investigación-Acción Participativa (IAP): según Cotton y Winter (13) , para la enseñanza en Enfermería sobre sostenibilidad, el trabajo debe ser multidisciplinar, guiado por un tutor y las habilidades de aprendizaje deben estar basadas en la experiencia.…”

“…En este sentido, la IAP, puede contribuir al aprendizaje necesario para transformar la comprensión de la sostenibilidad (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) ), pues es un método de estudio y acción que busca obtener resultados fiables y útiles para mejorar situaciones colectivas, basando la investigación en la participación de los propios colectivos a investigar (51) .…”

“…Aprendizaje basado en problemas: el aprendizaje basado en problemas (13,14,18,21) puede ser un enfoque metodológico a utilizar, debiendo estar centrado en el estudiante, ya que éste tiene una gran responsabilidad en la preservación del medio ambiente y es punto clave en la educación para la salud (17,(21)(22)(23). Consistiría en una explicación por parte del profesor de algunos aspectos de una materia que están tratando y planteamiento de un problema relacionado con ello, de modo que los estudiantes, de manera autónoma, deben resolverlo mediante su reflexión e investigación, personal o en pequeños grupos, interrelacionando todas las materias que estudian.…”