Environmental Health Nursing:

1. Environmental Health Nursing: An Introduction for Community Health Nursing Students

2. Learning Objectives • Describe environmental health issues in communities and populations of service • Analyze the role of the professional nurse related to environmental health • Describe the use of environmental health assessment tools in the home, work, community, hospital/medical settings • Identify sources environmental health information for health care providers and community members

3. Describe Environmental Health Issues in Communities and Populations of Service • Learning activity - Reflective thinking exercise on a memory of an environmental experiences • Identify and describe locations of your environmental experience • Share descriptions with the group  • What is environmental health? • What are exposure risks? • What are environmental health issues? • Local • National • Global

4. Environmental Health Categories of Risk • Air • Water • Land • Waste • Common household exposures • Lead, mercury, radon, carbon monoxide, pesticides

5. Populations of Special Concern • Pregnant women • Children • Elderly • Individuals with Disabilities • Vulnerable populations • Workers

6. Nursing and Environmental Health • Nursing process is used in the care of communities and populations. • The sciences of nursing and public health provide the evidence base for community and population assessment, interventions and evaluations. • The discipline of nursing has included health disparities and social justice as a framework and lens to drive nursing practice. • Nurses are in the best position to address environmental health issues because of their presence in virtually all healthcare settings (IOM, 1995).    

7. Community Health Nursing Competencies and Environmental Health • Community/Public Health Nursing Core Competencies and Principles (APHA, 2008) • The “Minnesota Wheel” Public Health Interventions: Applications for Public Health Nursing Practice ( MDH,2001) • www.health.state.mn.us/divs/cfh/ophp/resources/phnnews/docs/ 0606wheelbook.pdf • Learning activity – Take one component of the “Wheel”, and identify and describe potential nursing interventions related to environmental health

8. “I TALK” • A mnemonic designed to guide nurses to invite discussion with clients/community members related to home and work environments (Ercolano, et al., 2008) • I TALK Tool focuses on: • Improving client communication about environmental concerns and actions • Promotes the role of nurse as a learner and advocate about the environment and health-related effects

9. “I TALK” • I - Investigate and invite discussion • Ask about concerns, exposures, health problems • T - Teach • Educate clients about exposures and risks • A - Assess Actions • Ask about client’s planned actions and provide guidance • L - Lead • Participate in groups that address environmental health • K - Know • Educate yourself and share this knowledge with clients and colleagues (Ercolano, et al., 2008)

10. Environmental Health Assessment Tools(University of Maryland, School of Nursing, Environmental Health Education Center) • Population - Focused Tools • Prenatal Environmental Health Questionnaire • Location - Focused Tools • Home Environmental Health and Safety Assessment Tool • Environmental Health Community Assessment Tool • Hospital Environmental Health Assessment Tool

11. Sources of information on EH issues • EnvirRN http://envirn.umaryland.edu/ • NIH • CDC http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/EHN/ • Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children’s Health (TEACH) http://www.epa.gov/teach • Personal care product - www.cosmeticsdatabase.org • Movie: Blue Vinyl