Climate Change and Human Health ECHO: Global Telementoring for Health Professionals.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Medical Education

Background:

• Climate change poses significant threats to human health globally.
• There is a critical need to equip health professionals with knowledge and skills to address climate change and human health (CCHH).
• Effective communication strategies are essential for disseminating information on CCHH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the knowledge and communication skills of health professionals concerning climate change and human health (CCHH).
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual telementoring program in improving CCHH competency.

Main Methods:

• An 8-week virtual telementoring series, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), was conducted from February to April 2021.
• The series utilized didactics, simulated cases, and climate change tools for an interprofessional group of participants.
• The program was synchronous and virtual, facilitating broad accessibility.

Main Results:

• The pilot series engaged 625 unique participants from 45 US states and 25 countries.
• Participants reported significant improvements in their knowledge of CCHH.
• Participants also indicated an increase in their communication skills and techniques related to climate change and health.

Conclusions:

• The human health effects of climate change represent a growing area of concern in public health.
• Increasing the knowledge and communication skills of health practitioners is crucial for addressing CCHH.
• The CCHH ECHO model shows potential for global knowledge dissemination and reaching diverse health professional communities.