Climate Change Curriculum in a Network of US Family Medicine Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Environmental Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Physicians need climate change training, but current graduate medical education offerings are not well-documented.
• Understanding the scope and desired content of climate curricula in residency programs is crucial for physician preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current climate change curriculum in family medicine residency programs.
• To identify barriers to integrating climate education.
• To determine preferred climate-related content and delivery methods.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous online survey was administered to residents and faculty in a family medicine residency network.
• Likert scales assessed current versus desired climate curricula, and paired samples t-tests compared these.
• Frequencies identified barriers, preferred content, delivery methods, and program actions.

Main Results:

• Nearly 90% of respondents reported minimal climate content in their programs.
• Respondents desired significantly more climate training (P<.001).
• Key barriers included time constraints (80.7%), concerns about controversy (27.3%), and perceived irrelevance (10.9%).

Conclusions:

• Most family medicine faculty and residents strongly desire increased climate change education.
• Integrating climate content into existing didactics was the preferred delivery method.
• Addressing barriers is essential to enhance climate change training in medical education.