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The concept of exposure in environmental health for nursing
Author(s) -
Thompson Marcella Remer,
Schwartz Barcott Donna
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.13246
Subject(s) - cinahl , nursing literature , nursing research , process (computing) , formal concept analysis , psychology , nursing theory , nursing , scope (computer science) , medline , computer science , medicine , alternative medicine , psychological intervention , pathology , algorithm , political science , law , programming language , operating system
Aim To report an analysis of the concept of exposure in environmental health for nursing. Background The importance of the environment has long been recognized in nursing, although the nature and scope of the concept and how it influences health have varied over time. Exposure is the sufficient and necessary link between environment and health. In nursing practice, the word ‘exposure’ has been used frequently with no clear standard definition. Design Concept analysis using Kim's first‐level analytics. Data sources Chronological review (1980–2015) of the nursing science literature was conducted through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and CINAHL , followed by a multi‐disciplinary search through PubMed (1980–2015), texts and the Internet to compare definitions and measurements of exposure and related concepts. Methods Explicit and implicit conceptual definitions and measurements of exposure were identified, categorized and analysed. Results The newly defined concept of ‘exposure’ is a process involves three phases: 1, contact is made between a target and one or more agents in the same environment; 2, the agent accesses the target by one or more routes of entry; and 3, the agent enters the target by crossing a barrier or boundary. Existing measurements related to each phase are identified and discussed. Definitions of ‘target’ and ‘agent’ were refined for congruency. Conclusion Consistent use of terms as defined is critical to development of nursing knowledge. These concepts should be incorporated into nursing‐related research to evaluate their usefulness to nursing. Alignment of this concept with relevant theories should be critically examined.