Sundberg Fredrika, Baid Heather, Israelsson-Skogsberg Åsa
Research and Development Centre, Skaraborg Hospital Skövde, Region Västra Götaland, Skövde, Sweden.
The School of Health Sciences, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden.
BMC Nurs. 2024 Sep 27;23(1):679. doi: 10.1186/s12912-024-02347-4.
The healthcare sector has a negative ecological impact, and intensive care is one of the most resource-consuming areas. Nurses have a duty to contribute to climate change reduction, design climate-resilient healthcare systems, and support individuals and communities in adapting to the effects of the planetary health crisis. It is essential to incorporate environmental sustainability into nursing education so that nurses can advocate for conscientious and ethically sustainable healthcare that benefits both patients and the planet. This study aimed to explore postgraduate intensive care nursing student experiences of environmental sustainability in clinical practice at intensive care units.
Data were collected using a qualitative questionnaire, and the data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The participants were 24 registered nurses studying postgraduate, specialist intensive care nursing courses at four universities in the south and west regions of Sweden.
The results describe critical care students' environmental sustainability experiences in one overarching theme with five subthemes. Intensive care is a challenging context in terms of sustainability, where saving lives is the number one priority. There were good and bad sustainability habits among the staff, and awareness was key to improving. Clinical supplies come in unsustainable packages, and the participants wished for better alternatives and they wanted more knowledge and education on sustainable practices. The findings also emphasized the importance of a holistic perspective throughout each patient's pathway.
Sustainability in intensive care units is somewhat unrecognised today, although intensive care nurses want that to change. The context where saving lives is prioritized makes implementing ecologically responsible practices a challenge. However, environmental sustainability in intensive care is feasible, with education needed for nurses to take on the responsibility of making improvements. Hospital management prioritizing sustainability is also important to support clinicians in implementing sustainable practices in intensive care units.
医疗保健部门对生态有负面影响，重症监护是资源消耗最大的领域之一。护士有责任为减少气候变化做出贡献，设计具有气候适应力的医疗保健系统，并支持个人和社区适应全球健康危机的影响。将环境可持续性纳入护理教育至关重要，这样护士才能倡导既有利于患者又有利于地球的尽责且符合道德的可持续医疗保健。本研究旨在探讨重症监护病房临床实践中研究生重症监护护理专业学生对环境可持续性的体验。
使用定性问卷收集数据，并采用归纳主题分析法对数据进行分析。参与者为瑞典南部和西部四所大学攻读研究生重症监护护理专业课程的24名注册护士。
结果描述了重症护理专业学生在一个总体主题下的五个子主题中的环境可持续性体验。就可持续性而言，重症监护是一个具有挑战性的环境，拯救生命是首要任务。工作人员中有好的和不好的可持续性习惯，意识是改善的关键。临床用品的包装不具有可持续性，参与者希望有更好的替代品，他们希望获得更多关于可持续实践的知识和教育。研究结果还强调了在每位患者的整个治疗过程中采用整体视角的重要性。
尽管重症监护护士希望改变这种情况，但如今重症监护病房的可持续性在一定程度上未得到认可。将拯救生命置于优先地位的环境使得实施对生态负责的做法成为一项挑战。然而，重症监护中的环境可持续性是可行的，护士需要接受教育以承担起做出改进的责任。医院管理层将可持续性作为优先事项对于支持临床医生在重症监护病房实施可持续实践也很重要。
