Ecological care in nursing practice: a Walker and Avant concept analysis

Today, the human population faces an increasing array of emerging environmental challenges. Despite its importance, nurses often neglect ecological issues, which can compromise patient health. While the ecological nursing perspective has the potential to lead to innovative care approaches that benef...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC nursing 2024-09, Vol.23 (1), p.614-10, Article 614
Main Authors: Moghbeli, Golshan, Soheili, Amin, Ghafourifard, Mansour, Shahbazi, Shahla, Karkan, Hanieh Aziz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Concept analysis
Ecological care
Ecosystem
Energy consumption
Environment
Environmental aspects
Methods
Nurses
Nursing
Nursing care
Nursing theory
Services
Sustainable development
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Summary:Today, the human population faces an increasing array of emerging environmental challenges. Despite its importance, nurses often neglect ecological issues, which can compromise patient health. While the ecological nursing perspective has the potential to lead to innovative care approaches that benefit patients, the nursing profession, and the environment, the concept of ecological care lacks a clear definition and its dimensions remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze and clarify the concept of 'ecological care' in the nursing discipline. Walker and Avant's analysis method was used to identify descriptions, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept of 'ecological care' in nursing. We searched the databases (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, SID, and IranDoc) using the keywords "ecological," "nurse," and "nursing" using Boolean operators "AND" and "OR" in the title and abstract fields both in English and Persian to identify relevant literature on ecological care in nursing. Ecological care, as a multidimensional concept, encompasses ecological thinking, ecological attitude, ecological awareness, ecological sensitivity, and ecological literacy. This entails the optimal utilization of environmental factors to provide patients with high-quality care and preserve ecological sustainability through environmentally friendly behaviors. The findings highlight the need to elucidate, endorse, and solidify ecological thinking in all aspects of nursing care including nursing management, education, and research, which can lead to improved care quality, patient safety, and sustainability. Within this framework, nursing educators could play an essential role in integrating ecological care into nursing education. The study emphasizes the need to integrate ecological thinking into all aspects of nursing.
ISSN:1472-6955
1472-6955
DOI:10.1186/s12912-024-02279-z