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Implementing a Climate Health Education Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Trainees and Faculty
Eric Lewis1, Courtney M Smalley2, Matthew Kostura2
1The MetroHealth System, Cleveland, Ohio.
The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Emergency physicians (EPs) need climate health education to treat patients affected by environmental change. A three-month curriculum significantly improved EPs' perceived knowledge of climate impacts and health, enhancing their ability to care for vulnerable populations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Medical Education
- Public Health
Background:
- Climate change presents growing health challenges for emergency departments.
- Emergency physicians (EPs) require specialized knowledge to manage climate-related health impacts.
- Educating EPs is crucial for addressing the needs of climate-vulnerable patient populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and evaluate a structured climate health educational curriculum for emergency medicine professionals.
- To assess the perceived effectiveness of the curriculum on knowledge and confidence in managing climate-related health issues.
- To enhance the preparedness of EPs in treating patients affected by environmental change.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal, four-part lecture series was delivered over three months.
- Participants included medical students, emergency medicine residents, and attending physicians.
- Perceived knowledge and confidence were measured using pre- and post-curriculum surveys.
Main Results:
- Learners reported a statistically significant improvement in perceived knowledge across climate change topics, health impacts, and treatment confidence.
- 87.5% of assessed concepts showed significant knowledge improvement post-curriculum.
- A trend towards increased likelihood of implementing individual climate solutions was observed, though not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- A lecture-based climate health curriculum can effectively enhance EPs' evidence-based knowledge.
- The curriculum prepares EPs to better manage climate-vulnerable patients.
- This educational model supports the integration of climate health into emergency medicine training.
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