Tariq Hira, Nazar Shahmeen, Ourangzaib Sameena
Department of Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
University of Applied Sciences, HAW Hamburg, DE, Germany.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 May 6;25(1):665. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07257-w.
Climate change is a significant global health threat, disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income countries. Urban centres like Karachi, Pakistan, face rising incidences of vector-borne and waterborne diseases because of changing climate (CC). This study aimed to explore the perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding climate change, its health impacts, and their role in addressing these challenges.
A qualitative study was conducted using nine focus group discussions with 46 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and public health experts from three major hospitals and two postgraduate institutions in Karachi. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify both manifest and latent themes in the data.
The analysis revealed seven major themes: awareness of climate change, health impacts, economic and social consequences, environmental and natural disasters, the role of healthcare professionals, mitigation strategies, and policy challenges. Participants demonstrated varied levels of awareness, influenced by their educational background and professional specialization, with public health professionals exhibiting a broader understanding compared to other healthcare workers. Key concerns included the rise of infectious diseases, food insecurity, and urban resource strain. Participants identified barriers such as inadequate training, limited resources, and weak policy enforcement that hinder their ability to address climate impacts effectively.
Healthcare professionals in Karachi play a critical role in mitigating climate-related health impacts. Enhanced education, integration of climate change into medical curricula, and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential. Strengthened policies and systemic investments are needed to empower healthcare workers as leaders in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
气候变化是对全球健康的重大威胁，对低收入和中等收入国家的影响尤为严重。巴基斯坦的卡拉奇等城市中心，由于气候变化，媒介传播和水传播疾病的发病率不断上升。本研究旨在探讨医疗保健专业人员对气候变化、其对健康的影响以及他们在应对这些挑战中所起作用的看法。
采用定性研究方法，与46名医疗保健专业人员进行了9次焦点小组讨论，这些人员包括来自卡拉奇三家主要医院和两所研究生机构的医生、护士和公共卫生专家。通过滚雪球抽样招募参与者，并使用半结构化访谈收集数据。进行主题分析以识别数据中的显性和隐性主题。
分析揭示了七个主要主题：气候变化意识、健康影响、经济和社会后果、环境和自然灾害、医疗保健专业人员的作用、缓解策略和政策挑战。参与者的认识水平各不相同，受其教育背景和专业专长的影响，与其他医护人员相比，公共卫生专业人员表现出更广泛的理解。主要关切包括传染病的增加、粮食不安全和城市资源紧张。参与者指出了一些障碍，如培训不足、资源有限和政策执行不力，这些障碍阻碍了他们有效应对气候影响的能力。
卡拉奇的医疗保健专业人员在减轻气候相关的健康影响方面发挥着关键作用。加强教育、将气候变化纳入医学课程以及跨学科合作至关重要。需要加强政策和系统性投资，以使医护人员成为气候适应和缓解努力的领导者。
