Abstract
Nature's contributions to human health (NCH) have gained increased attention internationally in scientific and policy arenas. However, little attention is given to the role of the health care sector in this discussion. Primary health care (PHC) is a vital backbone for linking knowledge and practice within the organization of health care. The objective of this scoping review is to evaluate how international overview reports and scientific literature on NCH address to PHC. More specifically, we extracted data on arguments, practice supporting tools and guidelines, challenges and constraints, and management approaches to integrate NCH and PHC. The scientific literature search was run in Web of Science. Two independent reviewers screened the scientific publications. Through the scientific literature search, we identified 1,995 articles of which 79 were eligible for analysis. We complemented the search with a selection of six international overview reports. Both the international overview reports and the scientific publications paid limited attention to the role of PHC regarding NCH. To cope with the current challenges and constraints to integrate NCH and PHC, more evidence on NCH, further development of PHC practice supporting tools, bottom–up integrated approaches, and closer interdisciplinary collaborations are required.
Highlights
Nature is known to affect human health in different ways
This review indicates that a potential role for Primary health care (PHC) in nature’s contributions to human health (NCH) is perhaps not fully recognized
The role of PHC was most clearly defined in the literature on “nature-based care” in terms of disease prevention and health promotion through the application of green prescriptions, and in the literature on “medicinal plants” in terms of curative care through the application of knowledge on traditional medicine
Summary
Nature is known to affect human health in different ways. The manner in which nature’s contributions to human health (NCH) have been studied reflects the changes in concepts of health. Health has long been defined as “the absence of disease” and approached by focusing on the pathogenesis or mechanisms that cause diseases [1]. In 1978, the World Health Organization (WHO) redefined the concept of health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” in the Alma-Ata Declaration [1]. This change of health concept illustrates the shift in mainly focusing on disease-causing factors
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