Taking the lead in environmental health: defining a model for practice

1. The link between the environment and health has become increasingly evident during the last half of this century. 2. The concept of environment has been central to nursing practice since its origins; however, nursing's description of this concept has varied over the years. Occupational health nurses tend to place more emphasis on environmental aspects of health and safety than other nursing specialists. 3. An ecological systems model provides a convenient framework for describing the interrelationships and interactions that exist in the various levels of environmental systems. 4. This model can serve as means to guide the development of primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive strategies to address environmental and occupational health problems.