Looking Beyond Nursing Education Practice to Include Sustainable Health-Care Systems Processes

Creat Nurs. 2021 Nov 1;27(4):251-256. doi: 10.1891/cn-2021-0014.

Abstract

The education of nurses must continuously evolve for the application of best practice to occur. There are times that require a more meaningful pathway of sustainable health-care systems integration. Sustainable health-care systems processes include a series of actions to maintain sustainable health-care outcomes for both humans and the environment. Traditional practice usually conforms to a medicalized approach. However, due to changing global patterns of unsustainability, of which health-care facilities are a part, the community of nurses have been called upon to be leaders in transformation that goes beyond traditional training to encompass innovative holistic systems processes designed to address the welfare of humans, areas of mitigation, and adaptation strategies, along with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This article highlights why challenging and updating nursing education practice is required and provides a possible solution through an innovative program-the NurSus TOOLKIT.

Keywords: NurSus TOOLKIT; nursing education; seven key elements; sustainability; sustainable health-care systems processes (SHSP).

MeSH terms

  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Education, Nursing*
  • Humans