Integrating sustainable healthcare in the undergraduate primary care curriculum
Problem
Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to the health of the public and planet (Atwoli et al., 2021). The GMC requires medical schools to incorporate sustainable healthcare (SH) into medical education (GMC, 2018) We initially adopted an opportunistic approach to embedding SH in the undergraduate primary care (UPC) curriculum at Imperial College London and are now building on this through a more systematic approach.
Aims: Our aim was to review the UPC curriculum to identify where SH topics are covered and consider opportunities to further embed this theme.
Approach
The learning outcomes in the Medical Schools Council SH curriculum (MSC, 2022) guided development of our SH-related learning outcomes. The UPC curriculum, including placement-based learning, workplace-based assessments, centralised teaching content, guided online learning and optional modules, was mapped against these learning outcomes. We discussed the findings with UPC placement leads to identify opportunities to strengthen the SH theme.
Findings
Our mapping demonstrated existing SH-related learning opportunities including:
- Emphasis on SH principles including disease prevention, health promotion and patient empowerment
- Interactive case-based learning highlighting relevance of SH to clinical practice (e.g. greener inhaler prescribing)
- Coaching skills training for health behaviour change, with opportunity to practice with patients
- Assessed, community-engaged quality improvement (QI) projects embedding SH principles
- Introductory digital session on key concepts in sustainable healthcare
- Student-selected components for on sustainable healthcare, enabling deeper inquiry
We identified opportunities for further development including:
- Developing the digital learning session in partnership with students to ensure key concepts are communicated effectively
- Clarifying the relevance of SH within existing case-based learning sessions
- Strengthening QI project guidance in relation to SH to support experiential learning.
Consequences
Our approach to embedding SH within our UPC curriculum involves systematic mapping and consulting with key stakeholders to identify and build on existing strengths. Our digital learning provides students with scaffolding of SH concepts that they can then apply during clinical case-based learning and during assessed, community-engaged real -world projects, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to practice sustainable healthcare.
Our next steps include developing and evaluating these aspects further in partnership with GP tutors and students, ensuring our SH curriculum is informed by the perspectives of community members and strengthening faculty development in SH to support student learning. We will continue engaging with wider stakeholders to embed sustainable healthcare as a key theme. We hope our work may be of value to others seeking an approach to strengthen SH in the undergraduate medical curriculum.