Spanish Nurses' Knowledge and Perceptions of Climate Change: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Nursing Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Nurses are vital in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
• Their role encompasses care provision, education, management, policy, and research.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions of climate change impacts on health is under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Spanish nurses' knowledge regarding climate change.
• To assess their understanding of climate change's impact on health.
• To identify barriers affecting knowledge acquisition and application.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study utilizing a constructivist paradigm.
• Purposive and snowball sampling recruited 31 nurses across nine Spanish regions.
• Semi-structured online interviews analyzed through inductive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Nurses demonstrated general awareness of climate change risks and response actions.
• Identified knowledge categories included general climate change, health impacts, and actions.
• Barriers such as insufficient formal training and eco-anxiety were reported.

Conclusions:

• Nurses are key players in responding to climate change.
• Enhanced, high-quality educational programs are essential for nurses.
• Academic institutions, workplaces, and professional bodies must provide better training.