Implementation of decarbonisation actions in general practice: a systematic review and narrative synthesis protocol

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health Policy
• General Practice Research

Background:

• Growing recognition of primary care's role in climate change mitigation.
• Global call for general practitioners to lead decarbonisation efforts.
• Increasing availability of resources for primary care decarbonisation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand primary care's implementation of decarbonisation actions.
• To assess the efficacy of these actions in reducing carbon emissions.
• To generate recommendations for accelerating implementation and effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of literature from 2007 to March 2024.
• Searches across Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ProQuest.
• Narrative synthesis to analyze findings and refine programme theory.

Main Results:

• Lack of evidence on the reach, adoption, cost impact, and emission reduction of current decarbonisation resources.
• Identification of key mechanisms supporting decarbonisation in general practice.
• Insights into the effectiveness of implemented strategies.

Conclusions:

• Need for further research on the practical application and impact of decarbonisation strategies in primary care.
• Recommendations to enhance the implementation and effectiveness of primary care decarbonisation.
• Contribution to evidence-based strategies for a sustainable primary care sector.