Incorporating Climate Change Education Into Residency: A Focus on Community Risks and Resources.

BACKGROUND

Graduate medical education (GME) focused on climate change (CC) health effects is essential. However, few CC education evaluations exist to guide residency programs looking to implement CC content.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of an education session on residents' self-reported knowledge of CC health effects and confidence utilizing local CC anticipatory guidance and community resources with patients.

METHODS

A CC session was integrated into the pediatric, family medicine, and social medicine curricula at an urban academic medical center in 2023. A convenience sample of residents participated in 1 of 4 nonrandomized case-based or lecture-based sessions. Pre- and post-session 5-question Likert-scale surveys were used for assessment and analyzed using paired tests.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight of 108 eligible residents completed the surveys (28 case-based, 40 lecture-based, 63% response rate). Residents' understanding and confidence to engage with patients on CC health effects after the educational session improved (Q1 mean difference 1.3, =9.85, 95% CI 1.04-1.57, <.001; Q2 1.5, =9.98, 95% CI 1.20-1.82, <.001; Q3 1.8, =12.84, 95% QI 1.54-2.11, <.001; Q4 2.1, =16.25, 95% CI 1.84-2.36, <.001; Q5 2.1, =16.28, 95% CI 1.86-2.38, <.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Resident self-reported understanding of the health effects of CC and confidence utilizing local CC anticipatory guidance and resources with patients increased after a CC education session.