Recommended Citation
Simpson D, Getzin A, Levy A, Warner S, Cabiya M, Knox K & the Climate and Health Medical Education Task Force of the Advocate Health Environmental Action Council. Core Climate & Health Competencies for Physicians Across the Continuum in an Ever-Warming World. Association of American Medical Colleges. AAMC CGEA |CGSA |COSR April 9-11, 2025. Detroit, MI (under review).
Abstract
Background: Climate change impacts on patients’ health and sustainability is a topic emerging in medical education. >50% medical schools have some climate related curriculum but inclusion in GME-CPD programs is limited. Several groups (eg, Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education) have published core competencies on climate and health across professions to guide action but are often extensive and without “where to start” guidance. For example, GCCHE’s document contains 4 competency domains, 25 concepts and 2-8 learning objectives for each concept!
Objective: To identify minimum competencies for all physicians across the continuum of medical education who provide direct care to patients.
Innovation: We convened a task force (eg, MedEd leaders from our health care systems, medical school) led by climate science clinical educators across three states. The steering committee compiled a comprehensive list of competencies drawn from the published/gray literature through Spring 2024. Through an iterative, 4 month process, these competencies were winnowed and refined to identify the minimum threshold of what every physician (or physician in training) needed to know before they entered a clinical facility.
Outcomes & Evaluation: The task force approved the final core competences, subsequently reviewed by an enterprise-wide climate council. It consists of 3 domains and 9 competencies Cs): Knowledge of climate change and effects on health (5Cs); climate change related adaptations for clinical practice (2Cs); climate actions and benefits (2Cs). The competencies have now been used as a blueprint for education across the continuum.
Innovation’s strengths and limitations, feasibility: The strength of our minimalist approach to climate and health competencies for physicians across the continuum is that it provides a realistic and feasible framework to guide instructional design, assessment, and evaluation without overwhelming curriculum, faculty, learners and the climate science clinical educators. Once baseline competencies have been ascertained (eg, EHR codes related to a patients’ exposures/risks, post climate quiz), level 2 sub competencies can be incorporated.
References
1. American Public Health Association. How Climate Affects Your Health. https://www.apha.org/News-and-Media/Multimedia/Infographics/How-Climate-Change-Affects-Your-Health. Accessed October 4, 2024
2. Gordon IO, Mehta N, Isaacson JH, Khatri SB. How does climate change impact our patients? Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2023 Apr 3;90(4):221-6
3. AAMC Curriculum Reports. Curriculum Topics in Required & Elective Courses at Medical School Programs. https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/curriculum-reports/data/curriculum-topics-required-and-elective-courses-medical-school-programs%20%7C%20climate%20change. Accessed October 1, 2024.
4. Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education. Climate and Health Core Concepts for Health Professionals. 2023. Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/file/11492/download?token=bBURLrFC. Accessed September 11, 2024.
5. Philipsborn RP, Sheffield P, White A, Osta A, Anderson MS, Bernstein A. Climate change and the practice of medicine: essentials for resident education. Academic Medicine. 2021 Mar 1;96(3):355-67.
6. Simpson D, Getzin A, Levy AA, Gillet V. Assessing the Climate Readiness of Physician Education Leaders in Graduate Medical Education. J Patient Centered Research and Reviews. 2024;11(3):231-236 (in press).
Type
Poster
Additional Files
Competencies x Level to Task Force to Steering Com~8.12.24 Selected WorksF.pdf (128 kB)COinS
Affiliations
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center