Integrating WHO healthy ageing indicators into competency-based nursing education: A conceptual framework for gerontological training
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: As populations age worldwide, nursing education must prepare professionals who can promote older adults' functional ability, intrinsic capacity and well-being. The World Health Organization's framework on healthy ageing offers a set of evidence-based indicators that remain under-integrated into nursing curricula. This conceptual paper aims to present a framework for competency-based nursing education that aligns World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Ageing indicators with standardized nursing languages (NANDA International [NANDA-I] diagnoses, Nursing Interventions Classification [NIC], and Nursing Outcomes Classification [NOC]). The model proposes four educational domains-(1) intrinsic capacity assessment and maintenance, (2) functional ability enhancement, (3) psychosocial resilience and behavioural risk reduction, and (4) inter-professional and community engagement-each mapped to nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes. Teaching and learning strategies include simulation, service-learning, reflective portfolios, and outcome mapping, supported by a table of correspondences and a pyramid model of prevention. The framework is transferable across undergraduate and continuing professional development settings, and designed to strengthen the professional identity of gerontological nurses as agents of healthy ageing. Implications for curriculum developers, nurse educators and policy makers are discussed, including the need for empirical validation and institutional support.
Source: Geriatric Nursing
Author: María José Ferreira Díaz
Institution: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Language: English
Subfield: Issues, ethics and legal aspects
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,280
OpenAlex ID: W7166236863