Climate Change Education for Environmental Sustainability among Health Professionals: An Integrative Review.

Abstract

Introduction: The rising impact of climate change on global health warrants the integration of climate change education when training health professionals. Climate change education is rarely addressed in health professions curricula and graduates are often not adequately prepared for climate change issues. Effective climate change education among health professionals creates an opportunity to develop resilient health systems that can be leveraged to combat climate change-related health challenges.

Aim: This integrative review aims to address the question: How can climate change education be integrated in health professions curricula as a tool for environmental sustainability?

Methods: This integrative review was conducted using the Whittemore and Knafl five-step process. Several databases were searched to identify relevant literature published between January 2014 and August 2024. Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria.

Results: Thematic analysis generated five domains, each with a specific theme generated inductively after engaging with the individual themes from each included article. These themes are: curriculum development, regulatory bodies, faculty development, resources and models. Furthermore, climate change is recognized as critical in health profession education globally, however, its integration varies between countries based on contextual differences.

Conclusion: Most high-income countries have made significant progress toward integrating climate change education in health professions education. However, low- and middle-income countries lag behind as most LMICs believe that this is a problem only faced by high-income countries. A radical, multipronged approach is essential to equip future health professionals with the knowledge to tackle climate extremes. Continuous education and collaboration among leaders and health professionals provide untapped opportunities for implementing context-specific models to achieve environmental sustainability.