Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school
Abstract Background It is now a General Medical Council requirement to incorporate education for sustainable healthcare (ESH) into medical curricula. To date, research has focussed on the perspectives of educators and which sustainable healthcare topics to include in teaching. Therefore, due to this...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03737-5 |
| _version_ | 1811258962991906816 |
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| author | Dhruv Gupta Lahvanya Shantharam Bridget K MacDonald |
| author_facet | Dhruv Gupta Lahvanya Shantharam Bridget K MacDonald |
| author_sort | Dhruv Gupta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background It is now a General Medical Council requirement to incorporate education for sustainable healthcare (ESH) into medical curricula. To date, research has focussed on the perspectives of educators and which sustainable healthcare topics to include in teaching. Therefore, due to this gap in the literature, we have investigated the perspectives of medical students in the UK regarding current and future incorporation of ESH in medical education. Methods A survey was circulated to 851 clinical year medical students and students intercalating after completing at least one clinical year in a London University. The anonymous survey consisted of sections on the environmental impact, current teaching and future teaching of ESH. Results One hundred sixty-three students completed the survey. 93% of participants believed that climate change is a concern in current society, and only 1.8% thought they have been formally taught what sustainable healthcare is. No participants strongly agreed, and only 5 participants (3.1%) agreed, that they would feel confident in answering exam questions on this topic, with 89% agreeing that more ESH is needed. 60% believe that future teaching should be incorporated in both preclinical and clinical years, with 31% of participants preferring online modules as the method of teaching. Conclusion Our study has stressed the lack of current sustainable healthcare teaching in the medical curriculum. There is student demand for ESH, however, uncertainty remains regarding who is best placed to facilitate ESH, how it should be delivered, and whether there is a gender discrepancy regarding sustainable healthcare importance, emphasising the need to close the gap between educational rhetoric and action. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:22:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-571f39e2119f4e17bc74032ec309e529 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:22:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-571f39e2119f4e17bc74032ec309e5292022-12-22T03:21:22ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202022-09-012211910.1186/s12909-022-03737-5Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical schoolDhruv Gupta0Lahvanya Shantharam1Bridget K MacDonald2St George’s University of LondonSt George’s University of LondonSt George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAbstract Background It is now a General Medical Council requirement to incorporate education for sustainable healthcare (ESH) into medical curricula. To date, research has focussed on the perspectives of educators and which sustainable healthcare topics to include in teaching. Therefore, due to this gap in the literature, we have investigated the perspectives of medical students in the UK regarding current and future incorporation of ESH in medical education. Methods A survey was circulated to 851 clinical year medical students and students intercalating after completing at least one clinical year in a London University. The anonymous survey consisted of sections on the environmental impact, current teaching and future teaching of ESH. Results One hundred sixty-three students completed the survey. 93% of participants believed that climate change is a concern in current society, and only 1.8% thought they have been formally taught what sustainable healthcare is. No participants strongly agreed, and only 5 participants (3.1%) agreed, that they would feel confident in answering exam questions on this topic, with 89% agreeing that more ESH is needed. 60% believe that future teaching should be incorporated in both preclinical and clinical years, with 31% of participants preferring online modules as the method of teaching. Conclusion Our study has stressed the lack of current sustainable healthcare teaching in the medical curriculum. There is student demand for ESH, however, uncertainty remains regarding who is best placed to facilitate ESH, how it should be delivered, and whether there is a gender discrepancy regarding sustainable healthcare importance, emphasising the need to close the gap between educational rhetoric and action.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03737-5Education for sustainable healthcareMedical educationSustainable healthcare |
| spellingShingle | Dhruv Gupta Lahvanya Shantharam Bridget K MacDonald Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school BMC Medical Education Education for sustainable healthcare Medical education Sustainable healthcare |
| title | Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school |
| title_full | Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school |
| title_short | Sustainable healthcare in medical education: survey of the student perspectives at a UK medical school |
| title_sort | sustainable healthcare in medical education survey of the student perspectives at a uk medical school |
| topic | Education for sustainable healthcare Medical education Sustainable healthcare |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03737-5 |
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