Improved Health Diplomacy is Necessary for Resilience after Covid-19

Abstract

Engineers and nurses share a history of productive collaboration at the bedside designing and deploying technology to monitor individual patients as well as developing systems to support patient health and promote wellness (Zhou et al. 2021). Similarly, engineers and nurses share a history of productive collaboration beyond the bedside—in the public community—promoting health and wellness including access to fresh air, clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, effective hygiene, safe and nutritious food, affordable housing, reliable transportation, and abundant energy supplies (Oerther 2019; Oerther et al. 2019, 2020). As engineers and nurses continue to work together and learn from each other—even while the pandemic known as COVID-19 continues to evolve -- we need to explore ways to be more resilient. This includes learning to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions while working together to achieve sustainable development, local to global, for individuals (i.e., patients) and the public (i.e., families, populations, communities, nations, and the world). One approach that engineers should adapt from nursing is health diplomacy, including (1) promoting health as a universal human right, (2) coordinating health monitoring and response across national borders, and (3) supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive approaches to poverty eradication (WHO 2014; Squires et al. 2019; Oerther and Rosa 2020; National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine 2020; National Academy of Medicine 2021).

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1943-7870; 0733-9372

Document Type

Editorial

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Nov 2021

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