Competencies on environmental health and pedagogical approaches in the nursing curriculum: A systematic review of the literature.

It has been suggested that climate change is the biggest threat to public health for the 21st Century; increased demand on health services will impact on already overstretched resources and systems will need to be able to respond. However limited attention is given to climate change and sustainability in nursing education; there is no clear guidance on curricula content for nurses or recommendations regarding the skills and competencies that will be required. Literature published in Dutch, English, German, and Spanish was searched and 32 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review. Results suggests that holistic/systems thinking is relevant to healthcare so bringing a 'sustainability lens' to nursing curricula could be seen as being consistent with wider determinants of health. The literature review has identified the educational approaches necessary to provide a broad based curriculum and a cross-disciplinary approach. The findings suggest that topics such as the use of resources, food, health promotion, globalism, disease management, and the environmental impact of delivering healthcare, if embedded in nursing education could support the nursing profession's response for this new and important aspect of healthcare.

Relaciones sociales de género de las matronas en una comarca rural de España / Gender-based social relationships of midwives in a rural district in Spain

Objetivos: Son muchas las investigaciones que cada vez dan más importancia al Estudio de las Mujeres teniendo en cuenta el contexto de las relaciones sociales de género. Desde este marco teórico nos hemos acercado a las matronas que realizaron su trabajo en una comarca rural situada en el sur de España (Sierra Mágina, Jaén) para conocer las relaciones sociales que configuraron en torno a su profesión. Diseño. Investigación cualitativa etnográfica mediante entrevistas individuales y grupos de discusión. Lugar: Comarca rural de Sierra Mágina (Jaén, España). Participantes: 9 matronas y 11 familiares directos de matronas de esta comarca que ejercieron la profesión en la segunda mitad del siglo XX. 16 grupos de discusión con mujeres de los pueblos de la comarca con experiencias de haber sido atendidas por matronas. Hallazgos: Hemos descrito y analizado a través de informantes y matronas, las relaciones que éstas últimas establecieron con la comunidad y otros profesionales de la salud en los municipios donde trabajaron. Con la comunidad unas matronas establecieron relaciones jerárquicas y otras relaciones igualitarias. Con practicantes y ayudantes técnicos sanitarios (ATS) configuraron relaciones basadas en intereses laborales; con médicos las relaciones fueron complejas y estrechas dada la interdependencia a la que estaban sometidos, y con parteras, en general, las relaciones fueron distantes aunque a veces hubo relaciones de conveniencia. Conclusiones: El estudio de las relaciones diarias entre vecinos y profesionales de la salud, y el estudio del impacto de la labor realizada por las matronas nos acerca a su realidad, a su estatus, y a las relaciones de poder (AU)

Objective: Increasingly research is giving more importance to Women’s Studies taking into account the context of gender-based social relationships. From this theoretical framework we have focused on the work carried out by midwives in a rural district in southern Spain (Sierra Mágina, Jaén), in order to learn about the social relationships established around their profession. Design: Ethnographic qualitative research using personal interviews and discussion groups. Setting: Rural district of Sierra Mágina (Jaén, Spain). Participants: 9 midwives and 11 close relatives of midwives from this rural district who worked there during the second half of the twentieth century. Also, there were 16 discussion groups with women from towns in the district who had been assisted by midwives. Findings: We have described and analysed discussions with both informants and midwives themselves, the relationships the midwives established in the community and with other health professionals in the districts where they worked. Conclusions: The study of the daily interaction between neighbours and healthcare professionals, and the study of the impact caused by the work performed by midwives brings us closer to their reality, their status, and empowerment (AU)