Planetary health education for nursing students: A scoping review

Nurses play a key role in addressing the severe health impacts of deteriorating processes that regulate the stability and resilience of Earth. There is a gap in the curriculum regarding the integration of planetary health, leaving nursing students unprepared for planetary nursing care.

This study aimed to investigate how planetary health education has been implemented and contextualized in nursing education.

A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) recommendations. The systematic search was conducted in November 2024. The chosen EBSCO host databases were Academic Search Elite, CINAHL, Education Source, MEDLINE and ERIC. In addition, a search was also performed in ScienceDirect. A total of 2590 records were identified. Duplicates were removed, and articles were screened by title, abstract and full text by the research team to ensure eligibility. The screening was conducted with the blind option enabled in Rayyan. Ultimately, 33 articles were included.

The results were organized into six thematic groups: (a) learning through scenario-based learning, (b) learning through simulation-based learning (c) learning through a student-active hybrid approach, (d) learning through field trips and practice experiences, (e) learning through engaging with films, and (f) learning through an interdisciplinary approach.

The findings from this scoping review emphasize that planetary health education should utilize innovative, experiential and social learning strategies. The findings also highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Findings also support a call for greater inclusion of Indigenous peoples' perspectives regarding planetary health education. Lastly, given the present and future demands of nursing practice, there is a need to enhance advocacy, systems thinking and sustainability in nursing education, enabling nursing students and nurses to address the significant threat to our future human health and global development.