Editorial - RPER v4n2

Abstract

Nursing in general, Rehabilitation Nursing in particular and Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability is a topic that concerns us every day. Are we actually having an appropriate behavior and even in small gestures is this concern present?
We all have to make a big effort to change habits, with a particular focus on the health professions and their “environmental footprints”.
Analyzing the daily lives of nurses in general in this perspective, we realize that there is a lot of room for improvement to avoid ecological disasters.
How much waste do we manufacture daily? Can we change some practices? Do we properly sort waste and try to reduce its volumes? These are some of the issues that can make a difference in environmental impact.
Rehabilitation Nurses, due to the essence of their practice, are professionals who are close to concepts such as reusing, reinventing, restoring, repairing and, without a doubt, with low-polluting natural resources.
They use their hands and imagination. They take advantage of and sometimes invent simple instruments, with a low environmental footprint, to give back autonomy to the citizen.
They are professionals who, in the essence of their activity, assess and plan according to the patient's potential, making the most of resources with a focus on their autonomy, calling for a healthier, more quality and more sustainable life.
We all have goals to meet by 2030 to ensure a better world and ensure a quality future for our descendants. As health professionals, we have an obligation to introduce these concepts into our daily dynamics, as part of the quality of care. Education has an important role in this matter. Ecological issues must form an integral part of academic syllabus as well as training in a professional context.
Here I leave you the challenge to investigate how to improve our practice in the ecological aspect, doing better with “conscious consumption”.
I have no doubts that we, Rehabilitation Nurses, have the potential not only to rehabilitate the person but also their environment in an exemplary mission for society in general.
I look forward to your contribution on how to reinvent Nursing practice in terms of environmental sustainability.

Happy and Ecological Parties.

Kind regards,

Isabel Ribeiro 

University Hospital Center of S. João, EPE, Portugal