Health Care Providers and the Environment: The World Health Organization Translating Research into Practice Kristy Ivicek, WHO Intern March 6, 2009

World Health Organization Directing & coordinating health authority for UN Provides guidance to governments and health care professionals worldwide HQ in Geneva, Switzerland –6 Regional Offices –147 Country Offices

Outline of the Talk I.Global occupational/ environmental health picture II.Role of WHO III.Internship Project

Environmental Health: the Global Impact Nearly a quarter of global disease burden attributed to environmental risk factors (WHO, 2006) Certain groups carry disproportionate share of burden –Low-income regions –Children (10% of population, 25% of death/illness) Relationship to occupational health-- especially in less- developed countries

Occupational and Environmental Health 50% of 3 billion workers worldwide in unhealthy conditions 170 million children work in hazardous environments Less-developed country issues Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health

Social Ecological Model of the Workplace

The State of Environmental Health Research at WHO Estimating Global Burden of Disease Children’s Environmental Health Indicators

Research to Practice: Building Capacity in the Health Workforce Frontline health professionals not prepared to address environmental health Under-utilization of key resource for research dissemination, advocacy, and data collection!

Children’s Environmental Health Modules Collection of over 30 modules to train health care workers 1 day to 40 hour course Being adapted into Spanish, French and Russian Current effort-- adapting them for nurses

Focus on Nurses Largest group of HCPs globally Present in areas most affected See patients in community: home, school, workplace Trusted by patients and law-makers alike Long history of involvement in social justice issues

Healthcare Providers Worldwide

Nursing Modules Two modules: –“Introduction to Children’s Environmental Health” –“Environmental Health Assessment” Emphasize nursing roles: –Practice –Education –Research –Advocacy

Nursing Module #1: Introduction Outline: –Defined CEH and general concepts –“Children are not little adults” –Large-scale implications –The role of nurses –Major hazards Digest Version

Nursing Module #2: Assessment Incorporating pediatric environmental health history into nursing practice Next steps-- in-depth assessment and referral Links to large-scale activities –one possibility-- the Green Page

The Green Page –Instrument for recording a child's environmental conditions –Harmonized data collection –Captures data for use in indicators –Provides a basis for alerting authorities to environmental problems that need to be corrected WHO

Updates WHO Executive Board resolution: role of the health sector in climate change June 7-10: International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment (Busan, Republic of Korea)

Summary Environmental health is an important global issue WHO is a leader in translating research to practice and policy Nurses and other health care providers are key in addressing the environmental burden of disease

References Images from UNEP, WHO, & ILO (2007). Labour and the Environment: A Natural Synergy. Nairobi, Kenya: UNEP. WHO (2003). Making a Difference: Indicators to Improve Children’s Environmental Health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO. WHO (2005). Children’s Health and the Environment: A Global Perspective. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO. WHO (2006). Preventing Disease Through Healthy Environments: Towards an Estimate of the Environmental Burden of Disease. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO. WHO (2006). The World Health Report 2006: Working Together for Health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO WHO EURO (2008). Protecting Health in Europe from Climate Change. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO EURO.

Questions? Public Health and the Environment: Children’s Environmental Health: