Going Green: Environmental Curriculum Within Entry-Level Physiotherapy Programs in Australia and New Zealand-A Mixed Method Study.
Lucy Law, Lewis Ingram, Rose Boucaut and 1 others
PMID 40407048WHAT IT FOUND
Most physiotherapy program leaders agreed students should learn about climate change, but eight said it was not in curricula and five said it was integrated into other subjects at less than 5%.
Key findings
01Eight of 13 participants agreed that physiotherapy students should learn about the causes and impact of climate change.
02Eight participants said climate change content was not part of curricula, and five said it was integrated into other subjects at less than 5%.
03Lack of accreditation guidelines (40%) and lack of time (33.3%) were the main barriers; accreditation requirement and access to professional training were the most mentioned enablers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 13 of 20 eligible program leaders completed the survey, and only 4 took part in interviews. Participants volunteered, so those with stronger views about climate change may have been more likely to respond. The study included only Australian and New Zealand bachelor's programs, so views may not transfer to other countries or postgraduate programs. Member checking was offered but no participant took it up. The study did not test whether adding climate change content changes student learning or patient care.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that environmental curricula improve patient care or that all physiotherapy programs should adopt a specific teaching method. The study reports views of 13 program leaders and 4 interviewees, not student or patient outcomes, and attitudes were polarising.