Climate change and nursing research: a scoping review

Abstract This scoping review maps nurse scientists’ contributions to climate change and health research, including work about Indigenous Peoples, and identifies gaps and future opportunities. A review was conducted and reported using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, including a systematized literature search. Eligible articles were English-language studies published between 2018–2023, in nursing journals or by nursing faculty, and related to climate change or associated extreme weather events. Abstracted data included: Year, Focus (e.g. multiple hazards, sustainability), Outcomes, Social Determinants of Health, Sample Population/Setting, Study Design, Study Location, and Field of Journal. Studies were categorized by the countries’ Sustainable Development Index (SDI) to evaluate equity in representation. Two reviewers screened the first 30 abstracts for consistency. Remaining articles were screened independently, with discrepancies resolved through discussion. Overall, 202 articles were included, with 159 reporting primary research. Publications on climate change increased over time, with 66% on climate hazards, 29% on broader climate change or sustainability themes, and 5% on other topics. Nearly half (42%) were conducted in countries with low SDI scores (<0.250). Adults and healthcare providers were the most frequent populations sampled, with few studies of communities, work, or school settings. Nearly half were observational studies (44%), followed by qualitative inquiry (22%), with little interventional or community-engaged research. Few (4%) focused on Indigenous health and 42% addressed at least one social determinant of health. Physical health, mental health, and risk management were the most common outcomes; few examined systems of power in adjusting to climate change. We found many opportunities to strengthen and increase nursing research on climate change, including by emphasizing local and global factors shaping climate vulnerability, engaging diverse ways of knowing, centring Indigenous knowledges, studying sustainability and a just energy transition, and pursuing solutions-oriented, transformative research across more diverse populations and settings.