The GHH has recently launched a PG Cert in Sustainable Healthcare which will provide an overview of this nascent field of enquiry. Full details and application can be found here: Sustainable Healthcare PG Cert – BSMS.
The key learning outcomes for sustainable healthcare
- Describe how the environment and human health interact at different levels
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to improve the environmental sustainability of health systems
- Discuss how the duty of a doctor to protect and promote health is shaped by the dependence of human health on the local and global environment
Education on sustainable health and healthcare can therefore be framed as understanding how the environment impacts on health (eg air pollution as a risk factor for respiratory disease), the impact of healthcare on the environment (eg the carbon footprint of prescribing), ways to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare (eg lower carbon inhalers) and health promotion strategies (eg physical activity to improve mental health).
The General Medical Council Outcomes for Graduates state that: “Newly qualified doctors must be able to apply the principles, methods and knowledge of population health and the improvement of health and sustainable healthcare to medical practice”.
