TY - JOUR
T1 - Health science students’ preparedness for climate change
T2 - a scoping review on knowledge, attitudes, and practices
AU - Ccami-Bernal, Fabricio
AU - Barriga-Chambi, Fernanda
AU - Quispe-Vicuña, Carlos
AU - Fernandez-Guzman, Daniel
AU - Arredondo-Nontol, Rodolfo
AU - Arredondo-Nontol, Miriam
AU - Rojas-Rueda, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Introduction: Climate change (CC) is a global public health issue, and the role of health professionals in addressing its impact is crucial. However, to what extent health professionals are prepared to deal with CC-related health problems is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health students about the CC. Methods: We conducted a scoping review through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, and EBSCO. We included original scientific research with no language or time restrictions. Two authors independently reviewed and decided on the eligibility of the studies, then performed data extraction. Results: 21 studies were included, with a total of 9205 undergraduate nursing, medical, pharmacy, and public health students mainly. Most health science students (> 75%) recognized human activities as the main cause of CC. However, they perceived a lack of knowledge on how to address CC. Moreover, we found inadequate coverage or limited development of CC in related curricula that may contribute to incomplete learning or low confidence in the theoretical and practical concepts of students. Conclusion: The findings of our scoping review suggest that while health sciences students possess a general understanding of CC, there is a significant gap in their knowledge regarding its specific health impacts. To address this gap, there is a need for targeted education and training for future health care professionals that emphasizes the health effects of CC.
AB - Introduction: Climate change (CC) is a global public health issue, and the role of health professionals in addressing its impact is crucial. However, to what extent health professionals are prepared to deal with CC-related health problems is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health students about the CC. Methods: We conducted a scoping review through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, and EBSCO. We included original scientific research with no language or time restrictions. Two authors independently reviewed and decided on the eligibility of the studies, then performed data extraction. Results: 21 studies were included, with a total of 9205 undergraduate nursing, medical, pharmacy, and public health students mainly. Most health science students (> 75%) recognized human activities as the main cause of CC. However, they perceived a lack of knowledge on how to address CC. Moreover, we found inadequate coverage or limited development of CC in related curricula that may contribute to incomplete learning or low confidence in the theoretical and practical concepts of students. Conclusion: The findings of our scoping review suggest that while health sciences students possess a general understanding of CC, there is a significant gap in their knowledge regarding its specific health impacts. To address this gap, there is a need for targeted education and training for future health care professionals that emphasizes the health effects of CC.
KW - Attitude
KW - Climate change
KW - Global health
KW - Health occupations students
KW - Knowledge
KW - Practice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195888071&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12909-024-05629-2
DO - 10.1186/s12909-024-05629-2
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 38862905
AN - SCOPUS:85195888071
SN - 1472-6920
VL - 24
JO - BMC Medical Education
JF - BMC Medical Education
IS - 1
M1 - 648
ER -
