Research report: Nursing as a systems profession in One Health: opportunities across the Quadripartite action tracks

The paper, published as a Debate article in Globalization and Health, examines nursing through the six action tracks set out in the 2022–2026 Joint Plan of Action, which was developed by the Quadripartite collaboration of international organizations working on human, animal and environmental health.

The authors note that the One Health agenda has moved from a conceptual acknowledgement of human–animal–environment interdependence to a global framework for coordinated action. The Joint Plan sets out high-level objectives across six action tracks, while a 2023 national implementation guide supports countries in adopting and adapting those objectives to their own contexts. It is at this national implementation stage, the analysis argues, that nursing functions can be more explicitly recognised, formalised and evaluated.

Using the six action tracks as an analytic framework, the paper distinguishes between established nursing functions and opportunities for those functions to gain formal standing within One Health implementation.

Four recurring functions emerge across the tracks. The first is continuity and coordination, the connective work nurses perform across services and settings. The third is risk communication, education and community engagement, and the fourth is the implementation of preventive and protective practices.

These functions are not confined to a single domain. Their application varies across action-track objectives, including outbreak preparedness and response, food safety, antimicrobial stewardship and environmental health.

The analysis is careful to note that the scope and form of nursing contributions do not hold uniformly across countries. They vary according to professional regulation, education, workforce capacity, service configuration and participation in governance.

From this mapping, the authors derive track-informed implications for national adaptation, workforce development, service design and research.

As a Debate article, the piece offers an argument and an analytic framework rather than empirical findings from new data collection.

Subject of Research: The role of nursing as a systems profession within the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action

Article Title: Nursing as a systems profession in One Health: opportunities across the Quadripartite action tracks

Article References: Fernandes, J. B. (2026). Nursing as a systems profession in One Health: opportunities across the Quadripartite action tracks. Globalization and Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-026-01238-4

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12992-026-01238-4

Keywords: One Health, nursing, Quadripartite, Joint Plan of Action, antimicrobial stewardship, outbreak preparedness, food safety, environmental health, workforce, health policy, systems, profession