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University College London

How to Drive Sustainable Healthcare: Educate, Engage, and Empower

University College London via FutureLearn

Overview

Discover the importance of sustainability in healthcare

Though healthcare systems play a vital role in society, they also have a considerable environmental impact. As we face the climate crisis, we must identify ways to reduce this impact.

On this three-week course, you’ll discover how healthcare systems negatively affect the environment and what you can do in your healthcare setting to mitigate this.

With this understanding, you’ll gain skills to promote sustainability and improve the health of your patients and the planet.

Unpack the environmental impacts of healthcare systems

Healthcare consumes a considerable amount of energy, material, and water, and is one of the largest producers of waste and pollutants.

On the course, you’ll understand the impacts of health practices on ecosystems and how we can work as part of an interdisciplinary team to reduce these negative effects.

Explore the NHS carbon footprint

Next, discover how the NHS in England accounts for 25% of public sector CO2 emissions and delve further into the causes of this, such as procurement, utilisation, and waste.

You’ll then gain practical knowledge to help you take steps in identifying sustainability opportunities, networking and communication, and QI methodology.

Learn from the experts at University College London

Finally, you’ll explore current innovative models and case studies, both nationally and internationally, to gain a global perspective on sustainable healthcare.

Guided by the experts at University College London, you’ll finish the course with the skills and knowledge to deliver sustainable solutions in your healthcare setting.

This course is designed for healthcare professionals at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

This includes community and hospital doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, healthcare workers, and more.

Syllabus

  • Educate
    • Introduction
    • Climate Change: An existential crisis
    • The problem: How the climate crisis affects our health
    • The cause: Our contribution to the climate crisis
    • Case scenarios
    • Summary of week one
  • Engage
    • Welcome to week two
    • Mitigating the effects of healthcare. What are we doing?
    • Procurement and waste
    • The patient's carbon footprint journey
    • Myth and legends
    • Summary and close
  • Empower
    • Introduction to Week 3
    • A powerful voice
    • How to make a difference!
    • How to undertake a successful project and make a difference!
    • The future
    • Summary

Taught by

Dr Manu-Priya Sharma

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