Emerging Health Challenges for Nurses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: What Educators and Students Must Know

The growing burden of non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, are now the leading cause of death globally. Approximately 77% of NCD deaths occur in LMICs, where prevention, early diagnosis, and long-term management resources may be limited (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024).

Unlike acute infections, NCDs require ongoing monitoring, patient education, and long-term care. Nurses play a key role in helping patients understand their conditions, manage medications, and adopt healthier lifestyles. Nurses also contribute to prevention by educating communities about risk factors such as poor nutrition, tobacco use, and physical inactivity.

For nurse educators, this means ensuring students understand chronic disease management, prevention strategies, and patient education techniques. Strengthening nursing capacity in these areas is essential to reducing preventable illness and improving long-term health outcomes (WHO, 2025a).

Climate change and environmental health impacts

Climate change is increasingly recognized as one of the greatest threats to global health. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and environmental changes contribute to heat-related illness, respiratory conditions, infectious disease spread, and food insecurity (WHO, 2023).

These impacts are especially severe in LMICs, where healthcare systems may have limited resources to respond. Nurses often care for patients affected by climate-related illness and play an important role in recognizing patterns, educating communities, and supporting prevention efforts.

Despite its importance, environmental health has not always been fully integrated into nursing education. Preparing nurses to understand environmental determinants of health helps them provide more effective care and support community resilience.

Lessons from pandemics and global health emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the essential role nurses play in responding to global health crises. Nurses provided frontline care, implemented infection prevention protocols, supported vaccination programs, and educated patients and communities. At the same time, the pandemic exposed workforce shortages and gaps in preparedness (International Council of Nurses, 2021).

Pandemics highlight the importance of preparing nurses to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, public health emergencies, and rapidly changing clinical environments. Nurses must understand infection prevention and control, public health principles, and emergency response.

Education also plays a key role in strengthening health system resilience. Nurses who are well prepared can help detect emerging threats early, educate communities, and reduce the spread of disease.