Not ready for what's coming: Perceptions and preparedness of healthcare providers for adverse effects of climate change in Victoria, Australia

Anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) is expected to drive an increase in frequency and severity of weather-related disasters, as well as aggravating existing medical conditions in vulnerable populations. Specific health related outcomes of AGCC include It is unclear however, how prepared healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are for the impending challenges that AGCC presents for health, or the extent to which pre-professional and professional training programs have incorporated formal instruction around the health effects of climate change. We employed a mixed methods study design, consisting of an online survey followed by semi-structured interviews with Victorian HCPs to address the following topics: perceptions of HCPs on AGCC; anticipated impacts AGCC will have on health and delivery of healthcare; level of preparation for possible adverse health impacts of AGCC; and opinions of climate-specific educational and professional development training. What emerged was that participants were aware of climate change (78%) and were highly concerned about its impacts on the health of the Victorian population. Over half of the participants indicated their current practices are not sufficient to tackle the anticipated adverse health impacts and a majority supported the introduction of climate change education (78%). Participants expressed a knowledge deficit, despite their self-initiated learning. A key finding of this study is that the majority of participating HCPs obtained their information about climate change exclusively or predominantly from mass media and social media outlets, as opposed to sources which would be favoured in an evidence-based approach (e.g. peer-reviewed literature). Our findings suggest that most HCPs are concerned about the adverse impacts of AGCC on the health of their patients. Despite the HCPs’ motivation to conduct self-initiated learning in the area, it is evident that the current education model does not provide a sufficient level of preparation. Given the likelihood of an increase in climate events and a concomitant increase in the severity of impacts on human health, it is likely that significant changes to the medical education curriculum will be necessary at both pre- and post- graduate levels.