by Hollie Meyers and Alexandra Cardoso Pinto
The connection between climate change and health is undeniable, with environmental changes exacerbating conditions such as respiratory illnesses, heat-related diseases, and the spread of infectious diseases (1). Despite the increasing recognition of these links, including recent updates to GMC outcomes underscoring the importance of sustainability in the medical curriculum, we couldn’t help but notice how sustainable healthcare practices remained underemphasised in our medical education (2).
Driven by our desire to make a meaningful difference in helping medical students and medical educators understand sustainable healthcare, we applied for StudentShaper roles in the Undergraduate Primary Care Education Unit. In collaboration with Faculty, our job was to review and further integrate sustainability into the Primary Care curriculum at Imperial. We hope that this project helps to equip future doctors with the skills and understanding needed to practice sustainably – whilst supporting GP tutors in being a part of this journey too.
The Project: What We Did
Our efforts began with a review of the existing curriculum, focusing on online learning modules and project assessments. Through this process, we learned that there is a paucity of innovative and engaging learning resources to support students learning about sustainable healthcare practices. We conducted an extensive literature review and gathered student feedback to inform our approach in updating this material. We also reviewed assessment briefs for projects conducted in Primary Care, to ensure these not only emphasise sustainability as a core principle, but also provide sufficient guidance for students to achieve this.
We discovered that while there is interest in the topic, there is also lack of confidence amongst educators on how to best support students in incorporating sustainability in healthcare. In response, we filmed a video incorporating insights from Dr Tamsin Ellis, a GP tutor, who emphasised that primary care is a prime setting for integrating sustainable healthcare education. Dr Ellis highlighted the importance of explaining the relevance of sustainability through stories and practical examples to make the learning meaningful. You can watch the video below.
The Role of GP Tutors in supporting students
This project also highlighted how GP tutors have a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals. Here are three ways that GP tutors can support the integration of sustainable healthcare into medical education:
- Support Sustainability QIPs and other placement projects: Encourage students to undertake Quality Improvement Projects (QIPs) with a sustainability focus. We have provided guidance on the core pillars of sustainability and how to use these in practice – encourage students to review this material and apply it in their work.
- Emphasise Existing Content: Many aspects of current GP teaching, such as health coaching, health promotion and preventative medicine are inherently linked to sustainability. Highlight these connections to show students how sustainability is already part of their learning.
- Foster Interest and Engagement: Enthusiastic tutors inspire enthusiastic students. Stay informed about sustainability issues and current recommendations, use real patient stories to help illustrate these concepts to keep learning engaging and relevant.
Some resources we have found helpful in our learning journey include:
- This article by Stancliffe et al (2022) describing the impact and key terminology related to climate change and what we can do as clinicians (3).
- The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare website, with courses, a blog and key resources to stay up-to-date on how to practice sustainably (4).
- The RCGP Green Impact Toolkit, to help understand what sustainable healthcare practice may look like in the Primary Care setting (5).
Final StudentShaper Reflections
Having now completed this project, we feel a mixture of realisation and responsibility.
This work is far from done – but we leave with a better sense of the extent of our own knowledge and equipped to apply this in our clinical practice.
Integrating sustainability into healthcare education is essential for preparing us, future doctors, to address the health impacts of climate change. By leveraging existing resources and focusing on practical applications of our knowledge, we can make sustainable healthcare a core component of medical education. The role of GP tutors is vital in this transformation, and together, we can cultivate a generation of healthcare professionals dedicated to sustainable practices.
References
(1) World Health Organization. Climate Change. 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
(2) General Medical Council. Sustainability Q&A. n.d.. Available from: https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/learning-materials/sustainability-questions-and-answers
(3) Stancliffe R, et al. Towards net zero healthcare. BMJ. 2022 Oct 11;379:e066699. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-066699. PMID: 36220183.
(4) Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. n.d.. Available from https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/
(5) RCGP. RCGP’s Green Impact for Health Tool Kit. 2024. Available from https://toolkit.sos-uk.org/greenimpact/giforhealth/login