SustainabilitySUST-COMPNCT07512544
Building Sustainability Competencies in Future Nurses
A study testing Sustainability Training, Standard Nursing Curriculum and No Training in people with Sustainability and Competencies, run by Çankırı Karatekin University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
Global warming and social justice issues are increasing the complexity of global healthcare delivery. Health systems significantly contribute to environmental harm through carbon emissions, medical waste, and resource overuse. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Sustainability, Competencies, Nursing Education
- What is being tested?
- Sustainability Training, Standard Nursing Curriculum and No Training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 107 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 1 May 2026to 30 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Being a nursing student currently enrolled in the "HEM304 Nursing Management" course.
- Volunteering to participate in the research and providing informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Having participated in a similar sustainability training program previously.
- Being on medical or academic leave during the study period.
- Withdrawing from the study voluntarily at any stage.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Cankiri Karatekin University
Çankırı, 18100
Emel Gür, Dr., +905055738268, gr.emel.85@gmail.com
Nazan Kartal, Assistant Professor, +905531964608, nazankartal@karatekin.edu.tr
About this study
Official title: Developing Sustainability Competencies in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study
Global warming and social justice issues are increasing the complexity of global healthcare delivery. Health systems significantly contribute to environmental harm through carbon emissions, medical waste, and resource overuse. Nurses, as the largest group in healthcare, face workplace hazards and environmental challenges, highlighting the need for institutions to promote sustainable practices and workplace safety. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize integrated social, economic, and environmental sustainability, with health and universal health coverage as key themes. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) underscores nurses' vital role in achieving these goals by linking nursing care to public health, sustainability, climate action, and education. Developing sustainability competencies in nursing education requires practical training in environmentally responsible behaviors within healthcare settings, beyond theoretical knowledge.
Read the detailed description
Global warming and the integration of the concepts of equality and social justice into diseases and care are making healthcare delivery more complex and challenging at a global level today. Health systems contribute significantly to environmental degradation through considerable carbon emissions, medical waste production, and excessive resource use.
Nurses, the largest group within the health system, not only face a high rate of workplace accidents but also encounter a range of challenges such as increased medical waste production and carbon emissions. Therefore, it is important for healthcare institutions to support environmentally friendly behaviors and to ensure workplace safety and sustainable performance by achieving sustainable development .
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are integrated and indivisible; they acknowledge that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Health holds a significant place in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets universal health coverage as a central theme and attaches even greater importance to the interplay of the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable development. The 2017 report by the ICN also highlighted the role of nurses in the SDGs by providing case studies that exemplify the link between individual and public health in nursing care. In subsequent years, ICN reports addressed the relationships between sustainability, climate change, and planetary health, emphasizing the active role of nurses in improving community health and influencing policy. Furthermore, they underscored the importance of integrating the concept of sustainability into nursing practice and education and expressed concerns over students' impact on planetary health.
To adopt a sustainability mindset in nursing education, it is necessary to impart knowledge, attitudes, and skills during training. The literature emphasizes the need to develop competencies through behaviors such as adopting waste reduction, energy conservation, and environmentally friendly practices, especially those that are specific to hospital environments, within the context of sustainable healthcare services. In this context, sustainability competencies should not remain at the theoretical knowledge level only but should also be supported by concrete practices that students can observe and interpret in the hospital environment.
- Conditions
- Sustainability, Competencies, Nursing Education
- Being tested
- Sustainability Training, Standard Nursing Curriculum, No Training, Clinical Practice, Standard Clinical Practice
- Keywords
- sustainability, competencies, nursing student
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Sustainability TrainingBehavioural
A [1 week] training program focusing on environmental, social, and economic sustainability competencies in nursing care.
Standard Nursing CurriculumOther
Nursing students do not receive the sustainability training
No TrainingOther
Nursing students do not receive the sustainability training
Clinical PracticeBehavioural
Participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations and also assessment the clinic throughout sustainability (up to 3 weeks)
Standard Clinical PracticeOther
They participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations up to 3 weeks (standard curriculum).
No Clinical PracticeOther
Nursing students do not participate in clinical hospital rotations during the study period
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability Training | Experimental | Nursing students who receive a structured sustainability competency training program Receives: Behavioral: Sustainability Training |
| Standard Nursing Curriculum | Active comparator | Nursing students do not receive the sustainability training Receives: Other: Standard Nursing Curriculum |
| No Training | Other | Nursing students do not receive the sustainability training Receives: Other: No Training |
| Clinical Practice | Experimental | Participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations and also assessment the clinic throughout sustainability Receives: Behavioral: Clinical Practice |
| No Clinical Practice | Other | Nursing students do not participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations Receives: Other: No Clinical Practice |
| Standard Clinical Practice | Active comparator | They participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations (standard curriculum). Receives: Other: Standard Clinical Practice |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2)
The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey consists of 9 items rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. Total scores range from 9 to 63, where higher scores indicate a more positive/higher level of sustainability attitude. The average of the item scores is calculated and a higher total score indicates a better attitude towards sustainability in nursing. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the original scale was reported as 0.82, while the Turkish version demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha of 0.76.
Measured: Baseline (Pre-test) and 4 weeks after the intervention (Post-test).
Clinical Sustainability Practice
Assessment of students' sustainable behaviors during clinical rotations. Data will be collected regarding four key areas: waste management (proper segregation and reduction), material management (efficient use of medical supplies), water consumption, and energy conservation (turning off unnecessary equipment/lights). Evaluation will be based on Rubric scale. Higher scores indicate better adherence to sustainable healthcare practices.
Measured: Throughout the clinical rotation period (up to 3 weeks)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Apr 2026
- Study start1 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for SustainabilityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- "A three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Group 1 (Intervention): Received sustainability training and participated in clinical practice. Group 2 (Internal Control): Did not receive sustainability training but participated in clinical practice. Group 3 (External Control): Did not receive sustainability training and did not participate in clinical practice."
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 107 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Çankırı Karatekin University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Emel GÜR, Çankırı Karatekin University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07512544
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026/17
- Acronym
- SUST-COMP
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 6 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: There are no plans to share individual participant data to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the nursing students involved in the study.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Developing Sustainability Competencies in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07512544
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SUST-COMP / 2026/17
- Conditions
- Sustainability, Competencies, Nursing Education
- Keywords
- sustainability, competencies, nursing student
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 107 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Çankırı Karatekin UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 6 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Global warming and social justice issues are increasing the complexity of global healthcare delivery. Health systems significantly contribute to environmental harm through carbon emissions, medical waste, and resource overuse. Nurses, as the largest group in healthcare, face workplace hazards and environmental challenges, highlighting the need for institutions to promote sustainable practices and workplace safety. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize integrated social, economic, and environmental sustainability, with health and universal health coverage as key themes. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) underscores nurses' vital role in achieving these goals by linking nursing care to public health, sustainability, climate action, and education. Developing sustainability competencies in nursing education requires practical training in environmentally responsible behaviors within healthcare settings, beyond theoretical knowledge.
Detailed description
Global warming and the integration of the concepts of equality and social justice into diseases and care are making healthcare delivery more complex and challenging at a global level today. Health systems contribute significantly to environmental degradation through considerable carbon emissions, medical waste production, and excessive resource use.
Nurses, the largest group within the health system, not only face a high rate of workplace accidents but also encounter a range of challenges such as increased medical waste production and carbon emissions. Therefore, it is important for healthcare institutions to support environmentally friendly behaviors and to ensure workplace safety and sustainable performance by achieving sustainable development .
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are integrated and indivisible; they acknowledge that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Health holds a significant place in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets universal health coverage as a central theme and attaches even greater importance to the interplay of the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable development. The 2017 report by the ICN also highlighted the role of nurses in the SDGs by providing case studies that exemplify the link between individual and public health in nursing care. In subsequent years, ICN reports addressed the relationships between sustainability, climate change, and planetary health, emphasizing the active role of nurses in improving community health and influencing policy. Furthermore, they underscored the importance of integrating the concept of sustainability into nursing practice and education and expressed concerns over students' impact on planetary health.
To adopt a sustainability mindset in nursing education, it is necessary to impart knowledge, attitudes, and skills during training. The literature emphasizes the need to develop competencies through behaviors such as adopting waste reduction, energy conservation, and environmentally friendly practices, especially those that are specific to hospital environments, within the context of sustainable healthcare services. In this context, sustainability competencies should not remain at the theoretical knowledge level only but should also be supported by concrete practices that students can observe and interpret in the hospital environment.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 6
- Model description
- "A three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Group 1 (Intervention): Received sustainability training and participated in clinical practice. Group 2 (Internal Control): Did not receive sustainability training but participated in clinical practice. Group 3 (External Control): Did not receive sustainability training and did not participate in clinical practice."
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability Training | Experimental | Behavioral: Sustainability TrainingNursing students who receive a structured sustainability competency training program |
| Standard Nursing Curriculum | Active comparator | Other: Standard Nursing CurriculumNursing students do not receive the sustainability training |
| No Training | Other | Other: No TrainingNursing students do not receive the sustainability training |
| Clinical Practice | Experimental | Behavioral: Clinical PracticeParticipate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations and also assessment the clinic throughout sustainability |
| No Clinical Practice | Other | Other: No Clinical PracticeNursing students do not participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations |
| Standard Clinical Practice | Active comparator | Other: Standard Clinical PracticeThey participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations (standard curriculum). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Being a nursing student currently enrolled in the "HEM304 Nursing Management" course.
- Volunteering to participate in the research and providing informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Having participated in a similar sustainability training program previously.
- Being on medical or academic leave during the study period.
- Withdrawing from the study voluntarily at any stage.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability TrainingA [1 week] training program focusing on environmental, social, and economic sustainability competencies in nursing care. | Behavioural | Sustainability Training |
| Standard Nursing CurriculumNursing students do not receive the sustainability training | Other | Standard Nursing Curriculum |
| No TrainingNursing students do not receive the sustainability training | Other | No Training |
| Clinical PracticeParticipate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations and also assessment the clinic throughout sustainability (up to 3 weeks) | Behavioural | Clinical Practice |
| Standard Clinical PracticeThey participate in their scheduled clinical hospital rotations up to 3 weeks (standard curriculum). | Other | Standard Clinical Practice |
| No Clinical PracticeNursing students do not participate in clinical hospital rotations during the study period | Other | No Clinical Practice |
Primary outcome
The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2)
Time frame: Baseline (Pre-test) and 4 weeks after the intervention (Post-test).
The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey consists of 9 items rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. Total scores range from 9 to 63, where higher scores indicate a more positive/higher level of sustainability attitude. The average of the item scores is calculated and a higher total score indicates a better attitude towards sustainability in nursing. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the original scale was reported as 0.82, while the Turkish version demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha of 0.76.
Clinical Sustainability Practice
Time frame: Throughout the clinical rotation period (up to 3 weeks)
Assessment of students' sustainable behaviors during clinical rotations. Data will be collected regarding four key areas: waste management (proper segregation and reduction), material management (efficient use of medical supplies), water consumption, and energy conservation (turning off unnecessary equipment/lights). Evaluation will be based on Rubric scale. Higher scores indicate better adherence to sustainable healthcare practices.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Apr 2026.
- Cankiri Karatekin University Official Website.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. There are no plans to share individual participant data to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the nursing students involved in the study.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Sustainability Training, Standard Nursing Curriculum and No Training in people with Sustainability and Competencies, run by Çankırı Karatekin University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Emel Gür, Assistant Professor (+905055738268, gr.emel.85@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS-2) (time frame: Baseline (Pre-test) and 4 weeks after the intervention (Post-test).). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Apr 2026.