Climate Change and the Nurse's Role: An Evaluation of an Online Course

Climate change is a complex phenomenon, with a vast number of mitigating factors. Conclusions can be drawn that it is affecting environmental and human health, leading to increased flooding, heat waves, poor air quality, and extensive transformations of ecosystems and coastlines later this century, along with the emergence and reemergence of deadly infectious diseases. This presentation will focus on the essential role nurses play in mitigation and adaptation efforts. The authors assert that nurses can leverage their societal status as trusted messengers, and integrate climate change knowledge and relevant mitigation steps through their fundamental roles as educators, leaders, and client advocates.

One way of generating more awareness is through the incorporation of distance learning modalities. Data will be presented from an evaluation of an online course distributed to more than 700 nurses. The online course, developed at Columbia University's Regional Learning Center, includes a pre-test, a one hour interactive module specifically addressing the climate predictions outlined by U.S. Federal agencies, and a post test. After passing the latter portion, the learner can participate in an interactive case study simulation and receive a certificate of completion. An evaluation of the pre / post test assessment and case study will indicate whether there has been a significant increase in the participants' understanding of climate change and its inter-relationship with nursing. The authors also assert that the ability to better comprehend nurses' knowledge base is crucial for determining how future online training efforts should be designed and conducted.