Practicing nurses' and nursing students' perceptions of climate change: A scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundHuman activities have significantly contributed to a persistent climate change trend, posing substantial threats to human health. Nurses regularly interact with patients experiencing the consequences of climate change, making their engagement in addressing this issue crucial. Nonetheless, our understanding of nurses' viewpoints regarding climate change remains limited.AimThis scoping review aims to identify practicing nurses' and nursing students' perceptions of climate change.DesignTo fulfil this objective, a documentary search strategy was developed using an iterative process.MethodsThe search strategy was tested in four bibliographic databases, as well as in the grey literature. A 2‐stage selection process was conducted, and relevant data were extracted from selected articles for analysis.ResultsTwenty‐two scientific articles and 11 documents from nursing associations were selected. The findings suggest that while many nurses and nursing students are concerned about climate change and its effects on their patients' health, their role in addressing the climate crisis is not well understood. Many barriers such as having a heavy workload and the lack of support hindered their ability to adjust their practice in response to the changing climate. Furthermore, many expressed a need for trainings on climate change issues.ConclusionsThese results raise a great and urgent demand for these professionals to receive appropriate training to cope with climatic threats to health. Future research should focus on the development of nursing climate leadership, and healthcare organizations should support nursing initiatives and help raise nurses' awareness regarding climate change.