WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Most clinicians have a positive attitude toward education about climate change, according to a study published online Aug. 8 in JAMA Network Open.
Wyn Armand, MD, PhD, of the Center for Environmental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues evaluated whether the Clinician Quality Incentive Program’s measures led to changes in clinicians’ perceptions of the health impacts of climate change and the sustainability of health care. The analysis included 2,417 clinicians who responded to a survey.
The researchers reported that 73.1 percent of participants considered the module relevant or very relevant to their lives, and 65.4 percent considered the module relevant or very relevant to their clinical work. There was no association between age and responses. Compared to participants in non-climate-relevant specialties, physicians in specialties classified as climate-relevant were more likely to consider the education relevant to their clinical work. Additionally, female physicians were more likely than male physicians to consider the education relevant to their clinical work.
“The results of this study suggest that tailored strategies may enable clinicians to learn about the health impacts of climate change and the health sector’s contribution to mitigating them,” the authors wrote.
One author disclosed ties to the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.
Abstract/Full text