The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #45573

Sharon Burt, DNSc and Nancy Sweeney, DNS. School of Nursing, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-4158, 619-594-5121, sburt@mail.sdsu.edu

Individuals have a need to be able to identify and reduce the risks associated with exposure to potential hazards in their environment. While nurses have been acknowledged as often being the first members of the health care system to be contacted regarding these concerns, studies have shown that few nurses have formal education in the field of environmental health. One study of Maryland health department nurses found that the majority of those surveyed felt only minimally prepared to address the health issues surrounding environmental and occupational exposures and half felt this was due to the lack of educational opportunities. Interventions dealing with this problem were incorporated into a Baccalaureate nursing program. In addition to increasing the environmental health content in the didactic and clinical portions of the Community Health Nursing class, an Environmental Health Risk Appraisal form was devised for students to use during home visits. By utilizing this tool, students were able to identify the potential health risks posed to families from their home and work settings and then draw on this information as a basis for health teaching. The appraisal form reinforced that many nursing issues the students had been addressing actually had a direct relationship to environmental concerns. The result was a richer analysis of the families being visited and an increased awareness of environmental concerns on the part of the families and students. This project was funded by HRSA-ASPH Grant H094-04/04.

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