Incorporating environmental health into practice: the expanded role of the occupational health nurse.
Principles of environmental health relevant today were taught by Florence Nightingale and helped shape early nursing practice. Since then, nursing's emphasis shifted, but is now returning to its historical roots in environmental health. A broad understanding of environmental health is essential for all health professionals. Occupational health nurses are in a unique position to apply environmental health concepts in their practices. Occupational health nurses should be familiar with models that integrate environmental health, pollution prevention, and worker safety and health to develop strategies within their own worksites and industries, and expand their role in environmental health.
McPhaul
Kathleen M
KM
School of Nursing, Department of Family and Community Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Lipscomb
Jane A
JA
D004782:Environmental Health; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D014481:United States