Perceptions of Public Health Nurses Related to Their Perceived Environmental Health Competencies

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisors, friends and family, without their support this research study would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I adjudge that the entire content of this dissertation is entirely my own work; the content used in this dissertation has not been submitted before in any educational institution and represents my own opinion.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

CHAPTER: 1 INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Environment1

Competence1

Environmental health competency1

Background of the Study2

Nursing Education4

Nursing Education and Environmental Health6

Expertise in Public Health Nursing7

Nursing Process8

Competency9

Health issues and public health nurses9

Role of Nurses in Environmental Health11

General Skills in Environmental Health for Nurses12

Perceptions of Public Health Nurses and Environmental Issues13

Research Questions16

Hypothesis17

Aims and Objectives17

Significance of the Study18

Limitations of the Study18

Theoretical framework18

Layout of the Dissertation19

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY20

Research Design20

Primary Research Methods20

Secondary Research Methods21

Research Method and Design Appropriateness22

Dependent and Independent Variables23

Quantitative Research Method24

Sampling25

Sample of Participants26

Instrument26

Data Analysis27

Literature Search27

Reliability of Sources28

Research Validity29

Research Ethics30

Informed Consent30

Confidentiality31

Keywords Used32

REFERENCES34

CHAPTER: 1 INTRODUCTION

Introduction

In this research study, the perception of public health nurses pertinent to the environmental health issues has been discussed and analyzed. The study has focused on the perceived environmental health competence of public health nurses; and the difference in environmental health competence of public health nurses either because of their level of education, years of service or continuing education workshops or conferences as it relates to the impact of physical and social environments and the health of the individuals and communities that they serve.

Environment

Environment is defined as both a “physical and social environment. The physical environment includes the air, water, and soil, through which exposure to chemical, biological and physical agents may occur. The social environment includes housing, transportation, urban development, land-use, industry and agriculture and results in exposures such as work related stress, injury and violence (HP 2010).

Competence

Competence is defined as “the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified with a specific range of skills, knowledge, or ability (Beruba & Costello, 1993).”

Environmental health competency

Environmental health competency can be defined by the Environmental Health Competency Project (2001) which states, “Competency is a cluster of related knowledge, skills, and attitudes that affect a major part of one's job that correlates with performance on the job, that are measured against some accepted standards, and that can be improved via training and development. The operational definition of competence includes the knowledge one has related to the environment and health, the skill one has in assessing environmental risk of individuals and communities, and the ability to communicate an educational message related to that risk (Gulino, LaMonica 2006).

Background of the Study

The public health system has been weakened even more over the past several decades. with the advent of Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the indigent, concomitant with a move t.owa rd s a proprietary health care system, a rapid expansion of technological services that fostered an expansion of diagnostic and therapeutic medical services has been seen. Amid this shift toward sickness care, health promotion and disease prevention have been virtually ...