Linking the Sustainable Development Goals to Standardized Nursing Language: An Educational Strategy Using the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)

PurposeThis study explores an educational strategy designed to bridge the perceived abstraction of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by linking them directly to standardized nursing interventions through the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). The aim was to enhance nursing students' understanding of global health and reinforce their professional agency.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study with exploratory comparative analysis was conducted at a School of Nursing in Spain. A total of 164 undergraduate nursing students across four academic years participated in a structured classroom activity. Each student group was assigned one SDG, selected a relevant target, and aligned it with an appropriate NIC intervention and related nursing activities. Data were analyzed thematically using Atlas.ti.FindingsAll 17 SDGs were represented in student submissions. A total of 68 NIC interventions were selected, corresponding to 42 unique codes. Thematic analysis revealed four dominant clusters: (1) community and environmental health, (2) health promotion and education, (3) protection and advocacy for vulnerable populations, and (4) systems thinking and interprofessional collaboration. Clear patterns emerged by academic level: early-year students focused on individual-level care, while final-year students selected system-level and policy-oriented interventions.ConclusionsStudents effectively translated global goals into context-specific nursing actions using standardized language. The integration of NIC helped them conceptualize nursing's contribution to sustainable development in structured, measurable terms.Implications for Nursing PracticeThis study offers an original contribution to international nursing education by linking the SDGs with NIC, a standardized nursing taxonomy. This alignment provides a structured, discipline-specific strategy for operationalizing sustainability through nursing practice. By using NIC as both a pedagogical and conceptual bridge, this intervention reinforces the value of standardized language and supports nursing's leadership in advancing the 2030 Agenda through evidence-based, context-sensitive action.