A scoping review of environmental health nursing research

The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the extent and focus of published environmental health nursing research.

The search was limited to peer reviewed, English-language environmental health nursing research with at least one nursing author, published between 1995 and 2015 in a nursing journal, and catalogued in CINAHL.

Publication of the 548 identified articles occurred in 118 different nursing journals. Annual number of publications increased from nine articles in 1995 to 50 in 2013 and 2014. Most (63%) of the studies occurred in the Unnited States; the remaining studies took place in 33 other countries. Three primary focus areas were identified: disasters/disaster preparedness, occupational health, and the home environment. Other focus areas included environmental exposures, environmental risk perception, secondhand smoke, and environmental health education. The primary populations studied were nurses/nursing students (40%) and adults (26%). Most common research designs employed were cross-sectional (42%) and qualitative methods (20%).

Findings from this scoping review support a global expansion of published environmental health nursing research addressing a variety of environmental health topics. Additional studies are needed that use more complex research methods and address timely topics such as climate change and sustainability.