Contamination: Nursing Diagnoses with Outcome and Intervention Linkages

PURPOSE.  To relate the collaborative processes involved in the evolution of environmental nursing diagnoses and the linkages between two new nursing diagnoses and their associated interventions and outcomes; to describe the environmental health implications of contamination.

DATA SOURCES.  Published research articles, official reports, textbooks, and collaborative discussion with experts in community and global health.

DATA SYNTHESIS.  Reflection following review of the literature and collaboration with experts led to the development of a new schema for environmental diagnoses and development of two new diagnoses, allowing for greater clarity and distinction between the contamination diagnoses and risk for poisoning diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS.  An environmental nursing diagnosis schema, with its emphasis on contamination, infection, and violence, provides nurses with a holistic framework for making judgments about environmental influences related to individual, family, community, and global health. The diagnoses of Contamination and Risk for Contamination provide necessary language to describe human responses and risk states that may arise following exposure to environmental contaminants.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.  Development of environmental diagnostic labels and delineation of the linkages to nursing outcomes and interventions will allow nurses to take active roles in identifying environmental components that affect health and planning care that responds to environmental health needs. Greater clarity in the use of language will allow nurses to incorporate environmental concepts appropriately in nursing assessments and improve the accuracy of the diagnostic process and selection of distinct interventions and outcomes. This will result in better outcomes for patients and communities and permit greater accountability of nursing's contribution to environmental health.