Doctors welcome curriculum on climate and health care, research shows

An educational program highlighting the relationship climate change has with health and environmental health care was well received by doctors, according to a recent survey-based study published in JAMA Network Open and conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health system.

The program provided background on climate change and the impact of fossil fuel-related pollution on health; the contribution of the health system to carbon pollution; and opportunities to solve these problems. To the best of the team’s knowledge, MGH is the first academic medical center to offer educational advocacy programs on climate change and environmental sustainability in health care.

Climate change is a primary threat that many people consider to be the biggest health crisis humanity has ever faced. However, research shows that many doctors do not feel prepared to deal with the impact of climate change on health or to take action.”

Wynne Armand, MD, lead author, executive director of the Center for Environment and Health at MGH and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

In their study, Armand and his colleagues evaluated the response to a variety of climate change education programs offered at Massachusetts General Hospital, an academic medical institution, through an existing quality improvement program. doctors twice a year.

Of a total of 2,559 qualified doctors and psychologists, 2,417 (94.5%) completed the study modules. Among these participants, 73.1% thought that the modules were important or very important in their lives, and 65.4% found that the modules were effective or very important in their practice. medicine.

Age did not influence the extent to which physicians felt that climate-related education was relevant to their health or practices. Physicians who identify as female are more likely to value education than male physicians.

As expected, medical specialties dealing directly with problems directly exacerbated by climate change such as emergency medicine/urgent care, hospice and primary care were more likely to receive training related to their methods.

“Our findings show that educational strategies should be structured by behavior to help doctors learn about the health effects of climate change and ways to reduce the contribution of the health sector,” to said Armand.

Optional comments were given by 446 (18.5%) of the respondents-; 56.1% were positive, 36.5% were neutral, and 7.4% were negative. Many positive comments supported the importance of the topic and provided suggestions for reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint. Others asked for more ways to participate.

Negative comments stated that quality improvement training should focus on patient care and that providing climate information to nurses should not follow their limited influence on hospital policies.

Overall, the survey results show that most physicians believe that education about the complex relationship between climate change and health care is important, and they welcome opportunities to take action. Importantly, participants felt that their knowledge of these topics increased after completing the modules. A concerted effort across the health care sector can help all stakeholders recognize and address the health risks of climate change and take steps to reduce their contribution to the problem.