The Primary Care and Environmental Health e-Learning Course to Integrate Environmental Health in General Practice:...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Medical Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Environmental and behavioral factors cause 12.6 million deaths annually, contributing to 25% of global deaths and chronic diseases.
• The One Health initiative aims to improve health by creating healthier environments by 2030, prioritizing primary care professional training.
• General Practitioners (GPs) require enhanced environmental health (EH) knowledge and skills to integrate EH into their practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the e-learning component of the Primary Care Environment and Health (PCEH) course.
• Evaluate participant satisfaction, knowledge enhancement, and behavioral changes regarding environmental health (EH).

Main Methods:

• Pilot before-and-after study involving first-year GP residents (N=130) at the University of Montpellier.
• A 6-hour e-learning course with four modules: EH introduction, population-based approach, clinical cases, and communication.
• Self-reported questionnaires assessed satisfaction, EH risk knowledge, reporting procedures, and behavior changes using a 5-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• 74 GP residents completed the course and assessments.
• Mean satisfaction score was 4.0/5.
• Significant improvements observed: 30% increase in EH risk knowledge, 18% in personal health behavior, and 26% in patient health behavior (P<.001).

Conclusions:

• The e-learning course effectively enhanced GP residents' environmental health knowledge and behaviors.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the PCEH course's impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes.
• The PCEH course is designed for annual reuse, with plans for new modules and adaptations to evolving EH indicators and population needs.