HISTORICAL MILESTONES IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NURSING, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

Objective: to describe the historical milestones where nursing has advanced in environmental and sustainability aspects. Development: in the historical process of nursing there is no clear evolution of the relationship between the concepts of environment, sustainability and nursing, therefore, the linkage is detailed with 7 historical milestones to provide nursing with this relationship from the last 170 years to the present. The milestones are i) Florence Nightingale's environmental theory; ii) concept of environment in the metaparadigm; iii) nursing approach to environmental health; iv) environmental health standard and position statements; v) research and organizational initiatives; vi) new ICN code of ethics; vii) integration and training initiatives in Latin America. Final considerations: the advancement of nursing, environment and sustainability is an evolutionary process with emergence according to the social and political demands and global dynamics of the moment, rather than the emergence of the profession itself. The generation of theoretical, practical, educational and research models is required to develop them contextualized to the current dynamics for the care for the lives of the planet. Progress must be made at a faster pace since, compared to other professions, sustainability and the environment are already central axes of training, labor competence and innovation.