Nursing
The largest component of the world's healthcare workforce
How will Climate Change affect Nursing Care?
Climate change affects every human organ and every body system. Nurses, whether just starting their careers, veterans on the ward or have taken a route into advanced specialty care or management, will continue to face the consequences of climate change in their roles. Some key examples of how climate change affects nursing in the UK include:
• Increased admissions to hospital due to extreme weather conditions, food scarcity and exacerbations of illnesses, increasing the pressure and workload.
• Increased overall temperatures and moisture will likely increase the prevalence of pressure sores, due to the reactions to the metabolism and mechanics of the tissue. Harder for nurses to keep patients well and comfortable.
• Exacerbation of mental health conditions as a result of disruption to lives from climate change events. This will challenge the nursing workforce in providing care for a growing population of patients.
How is Nursing Affecting Climate Change?
Everything we do in healthcare has an environmental impact. As nurses account for nearly half of the world’s healthcare workforce, they therefore have the power to make significant changes to reduce the environmental impact. Some key examples include:
• PPE – Gloves are one of the most common single-use plastic items in healthcare, the materials used to make them derive from oil. Only need to be used for contact with blood; other bodily fluids; harmful medications/substances; or broken skin.
• Waste and single use plastic – Nurses are the highest producers of waste with high levels of single use plastic across all nursing activities.
• Disposal of waste – Many items are not recyclable and/or have bodily fluids on them. Therefore nursing materials are often binned inefficiently leading to less than half of healthcare materials being recycled, the rest being incinerated or equivalent.
Row paragraph text would be placed here.
Royal College of Nursing
The RCN has a library webpage of key resources to highlight the relationship between nursing and climate change
Discussion Ideas with Patients and Colleagues
Patients:
"Have you considered the vegetarian option for dinner later? It will be better for your health and has a lower environmental impact too."
Colleagues
"Did you know we no longer have to wear aprons and gloves with every form of patient contact?” It’s back to pre-pandemic guidance of only needing them for contact with blood; other bodily fluids; harmful medications/substances; or broken skin"
"Have you got a patient requiring the same medication as my patient later? Let’s draw it up from the same vial to prevent opening two."
Highest Impact Actions for Nursing Staff
Nurses are positioned well to address the actions needed, be that reducing the impact of nursing on climate change or educating themselves and patients on how to manage conditions that will be on rise due to climate change.
• STOP before putting on PPE such as aprons and gloves. Don’t automatically reach for them before every contact. Check out the Royal College of Nursing video on gloves below.
• Waste reduction. Minimise how much of each item is used through reusing where possible i.e. same patient same item. Sterilise when possible e.g. breast pumping supplies and bottles. Ensure maximum use made out of medicine bottle, only opening one at a time.
• Correct disposal of unavoidable waste. Implement updated waste disposal policies onto wards including recycling, clinical waste and regular waste.
The Royal College of Nursing has produced an informative video on the appropriate use of gloves:
For More Information
Visit the Royal College of Nursing pages on climate change and sustainability