Role Of Sustainability In Nursing

Nursing and Sustainability

“Better management of the environment and wise investments in sustainable development are critical weapons in the battle against many of the world’s most serious diseases, and essential interventions to ensuring health for all.”(Chan,n.d).In my endeavor to pursue medical science, I’ve always felt this was the perfect profession to promote sustainability; but how can I promote something so beneficial to us all, if you aren’t quite aware of what sustainability is in the first place. As defined by Cambridge Dictionaries, sustainability is the causing of little to no damage to the environment, for mutual gain, and therefore making able to continue for a long period of time. Nurses are responsible for engaging global

health issues, but only limited studies have been published from a sustainability perspective, however this essay entails a few of the attributes involved in the sustainability of nursing which are, environment, holism and ecology.
The Environment and Sustainability.
Sustainable environment development creates conditions that allow populations to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

(Gillaspy, 2003) Hypothetically speaking, Jim see an apply he wants from his tree. Jim’s two options are to grab a ladder and pick the apple he wants, or to grab an ax and cut the apple tree down. Like many of us, Jim only see his immediate need and decides to go with his second option of cutting the tree down to get access to more than just one apple. However, what Jim neglected to consider is that he just jeopardized the future of his tree to bear fruit for himself or others. Likewise, world health organizations argue that the existing climate change due to man’s contributions of environmental imbalances will affect the ability to maintain god health for future generations. Health care organizations should take climate change seriously. Climate change is a constant growing cause of limited food and resource availability, which contributes to malnutrition, and pollutions which assist in the spread of harmful waste, affecting normal human development. Therefore upcoming nurses like myself and other medical teams, should bring awareness of these and other health hazards that may be affecting climate

change.

Holism and Sustainability.
Greater resourcefulness ought to be used of the environment, and becoming a medical professional, I would be given the opportunity to insist that the environmental issues be incorporated into the management of medical, and modern care.

Holism and conventional science have been two very important aspects of good health that for ages and even today, cannot come to agreement that it’s possible they can both co-exist. Holistic medication takes into considers of the whole person care, physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually, in the management and prevention of disease. (Wright, 2014) The whole person take into consideration the individual and the world in which they live in. It is person-centered. The whole person care means time understanding each person. Thereby reducing duplicate, repetitive, or unnecessary treatments, tests, or visits. Whole person care helps patients avoid expensive complications and adverse events by using holistic treatments and self-care recommendations. The most common misconception of holistic medicine is that it’s solely an alternative. However holism doesn’t dismiss the premises of conventional medicine; Holistic medicine more so compliments them. For example, the Annona muricata fruit or the sour sop, is used as a compliment or catalyst for the chemotherapy of breast

cancer.
Ecology and Sustainability.
Finally, the mass cause of disease, is poverty. Neglected tropical diseases affect over one million people, almost all in the poorest and most marginalized communities. The economic, and political structures which sustain poverty and discrimination have forced very poor and vulnerable people to make harsh choices. The cost of medical fees can be devastating for both the individual, as well as the family members playing the role of caregivers. The intent of medical professionals is to do no harm, and healthcare leaders are determined to deliver better patient care and enhanced population health all the meanwhile reducing capital costs. Implementing sustainable practices such as reducing energy use and waste, and properly managing pharmaceuticals and chemicals, are directly correlated with improved risk management, patient experience, employee engagement, community relations, and cost savings. Leading hospitals and healthcare systems across the world are incorporating sustainability into their duty of healing within and beyond their four walls, and are demonstrating positive results for patients, staff, public health, the environment. My role as a nurse would be on the surface to promote and bring about awareness to my colleagues that medical bills should not be a sentence to death; but also I will promote the use of more eco-friendly medication, which would be able to sustain us now, and the future to come.
And so I conclude, sustainable initiatives in hospitals save money, contribute to improved patient outcomes, and improved employee engagement, as well as fit the value system of those invested in this resource intensive industry. As the backbone of hospital operations, nurses engaged in sustainable initiatives have a lot of influential power. The actual war for nurses like myself is the fight for a healthy, and sustainable community. My purpose as a nurse will not be fulfilled until I’ve conquered the attributes of sustainability through the environment, holism, and ecology. For the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. (Robert,n.d)