Abstract
The healthcare sector acknowledges climate impacts, and it is responding by providing care to climate sufferers and taking green initiatives (WHO, 2021). The numerous laudable projects ranges renewable energy projects to digitalisation. The role of nurses in this sustainable healthcare agenda is paramount hence this study seeks to explore the perspectives on the practices of sustainability in relation to climate change among nurses and healthcare leaders’ in the UK.
An exploratory qualitative design using an appreciative inquiry model was conducted with 15 participants in 1:1 interviews. The study employed purposive and snowball sampling. The study population was nurses and healthcare leaders. Ethical approval was sought from Coventry University and the Health Research Authority, UK. Data was transcribed from Microsoft Teams’ software, and the data underwent a reflexive thematic analysis in NVIVO.
Five main themes were identified. These include: (i) recognising anthropogenic climate change impact (ii) developing carbon instinct, (iii) sustainability hurdles, (iv) the nursing power and (v) the utopian vision. Participants recognised the existential threat of the extreme Earth’s vital signs as a result of the anthropogenic carbon footprint. They identified the need to establish good communication of climate change language. The perennial roadblocks to an ideal sustainable healthcare can be overcome by the trust in the nursing profession and its global role.
These findings reported the potential of nursing in knowledge improvement avenues. It calls for nurses’ involvement in sustainability policy and nursing leadership in the healthcare system. It also calls for the inclusion of sustainability in nursing placements and curriculum.
An exploratory qualitative design using an appreciative inquiry model was conducted with 15 participants in 1:1 interviews. The study employed purposive and snowball sampling. The study population was nurses and healthcare leaders. Ethical approval was sought from Coventry University and the Health Research Authority, UK. Data was transcribed from Microsoft Teams’ software, and the data underwent a reflexive thematic analysis in NVIVO.
Five main themes were identified. These include: (i) recognising anthropogenic climate change impact (ii) developing carbon instinct, (iii) sustainability hurdles, (iv) the nursing power and (v) the utopian vision. Participants recognised the existential threat of the extreme Earth’s vital signs as a result of the anthropogenic carbon footprint. They identified the need to establish good communication of climate change language. The perennial roadblocks to an ideal sustainable healthcare can be overcome by the trust in the nursing profession and its global role.
These findings reported the potential of nursing in knowledge improvement avenues. It calls for nurses’ involvement in sustainability policy and nursing leadership in the healthcare system. It also calls for the inclusion of sustainability in nursing placements and curriculum.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 20 Oct 2025 |
| Event | National Sustainability Society's 2nd Annual Conference. - University of Notre Dame, United States Duration: 20 Oct 2025 → 23 Oct 2025 |
Conference
| Conference | National Sustainability Society's 2nd Annual Conference. |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | University of Notre Dame |
| Period | 20/10/25 → 23/10/25 |
