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The impact of integrating environmental health into medical school curricula: a survey-based study
- Source :
- BMC Medical Education, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2021), BMC Medical Education
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- BMC, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background Inclusion of environmental health (EH) in medical education serves as a catalyst for preparing future physicians to address issues as complex as climate change and health, water pollution and lead contamination. However, previous research has found EH education to be largely lacking in U.S. medical education, putting future physicians at risk of not having the expertise to address patients’ environmental illnesses, nor speak to prevention. Methods Environmental health (EH) knowledge and skills were incorporated into the first-year medical school curriculum at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (Nutley, New Jersey), via a two-hour interactive large group learning module with follow up activities. Students completed the Environmental Health in Med School (EHMS) survey before and after the year 1 EH module. This survey evaluates medical students’ attitudes, awareness and professionalism regarding environmental health. In year 2, students completed the Environmental Health Survey II, which measured students’ perceptions of preparedness to discuss EH with future patients. The research team created both surveys based upon learning objectives that broadly aligned with the Institute of Medicine six competency-based environmental health learning objectives. Results 36 year 1 students completed both the pre and post EHMS surveys. McNemar’s test was used for paired comparisons. Results identified no statistically significant changes from pre to post surveys, identifying a dramatic ceiling. When comparing year 2, EHS II pre-survey (n = 84) and post-survey (n = 79) responses, a statistically significant positive change in students’ self-reported sense of preparedness to discuss environmental health with their patients following the curriculum intervention was noted. Conclusions Our conclusion for the EHMS in Year 1 was that the current generation of medical students at this school is already extremely aware of and concerned about the impact of environmental issues on health. Through the EHS II in Year 2, we found that the six-week environmental health module combining didactic and experiential elements significantly increased medical students’ self-reported sense of preparedness to discuss environmental health issues, including climate change, with their patients.
- Subjects :
- Medical education
Students, Medical
020205 medical informatics
education
lcsh:Medicine
02 engineering and technology
Experiential learning
Education
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Environmental health
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Humans
Climate change
030212 general & internal medicine
Curriculum
Environmental justice
Schools, Medical
lcsh:LC8-6691
lcsh:Special aspects of education
Prevention
lcsh:R
General Medicine
Health equity
Test (assessment)
Environmental Illness
Professionalism
Preparedness
Health disparities
Psychology
Inclusion (education)
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14726920
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- BMC Medical Education
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a95f71e097c432dadaa2d60ca84c059d