Implementing and Assessing Climate Change Education in a Pediatrics Residency Curriculum

Background For physicians to effectively combat the growing health crisis that is climate change, they should begin learning during medical training about its health implications. However, there is little data on residents' knowledge of the climate crisis, and even less data regarding the effectiveness and acceptability of climate change education in graduate medical training programs. Objective To incorporate a new educational session on the health implications of climate change into a residency curriculum and evaluate the acceptability of the session and its effects on residents' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the topic. Methods In July 2021, a 90-minute, interactive, small-group format educational session on the health implications of climate change was incorporated into the first-year curriculum of a pediatric residency program. From July 2021 through June 2023, resident participants completed pre- and post-session surveys that assessed their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding health implications of climate change. Likert scale data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results Of the 109 residents scheduled to participate, 50 (46%) completed both the pre- and post-session surveys. Session participation increased residents' self-reported knowledge of how climate change impacts health and how physicians can act as climate advocates. Ninety-eight percent of all post-session respondents (58 of 59) agreed that they would recommend the session to other residents. With 3 facilitators, the monthly session required ≤4 hours of preparation and ≤12 hours of direct teaching time per facilitator each academic year. Conclusions A single educational session improved residents' self-reported knowledge of the health implications of climate change and was well-received by participants.