Climate Change Integration in Nursing Academic Curricula and Continuing Education: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Nursing Education
• Climate Change Impacts

Background:

• Climate change poses significant health risks to individuals and communities.
• Nurses are frontline healthcare professionals facing the climate crisis.
• Limited understanding exists regarding educational preparation for nurses on climate change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the integration of climate change into nursing education.
• To identify current educational strategies and challenges in preparing nurses for climate-related health issues.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework for the scoping review.
• Conducted a comprehensive search of four databases and the grey literature.
• Included data from 16 scientific articles and 11 grey literature references.

Main Results:

• Academic and healthcare organizations are developing innovative educational initiatives for nurses.
• Key challenges include dense curricula, lack of a climate competency framework, and unengaging theoretical content.
• Educational efforts aim to increase awareness of climate change's health impacts and promote action.

Conclusions:

• Innovative, interactive teaching methods and planetary health models can enhance student engagement.
• Integrating climate change content throughout the curriculum is recommended.
• Collaboration between academia and organizations is crucial for fostering nurses' climate awareness and action.