Education for Sustainable Healthcare (ESH) and Planetary Health
We have to bring about a world where all can thrive, with a stable climate and abundant ecosystems enabling human health and wellbeing. Degradation of the environment and nature harms health, and at the same time healthcare contributes to environmental damage. Oxford medical school is integrating Education for Sustainable Healthcare into its curriculum and has improved its Planetary Health Report Card scores year on year. Sustainable healthcare is, by definition, good medical practice that benefits the patient, the practitioner and the planet. It focuses on the improvement of health and better delivery of healthcare, rather than late intervention in disease, with resulting benefits to patients and to the environment on which human health depends, thus serving to provide high-quality healthcare now without compromising the ability to meet the health needs of the future. Doctors now have a sustainability duty from the medical regulator, and must practise in a way that does not harm the wider population. At Oxford we will incorporate this at every stage of your learning.
Please see below for more about Education for Sustainable Healthcare and Planetary Health, and the student-led Planetary Health Report Card. To get in touch with Dr SanYuMay Tun please email sanyumay.tun@medsci.ox.ac.uk
Education for Sustainable Healthcare
The Medical Schools Council endorsed and published Education for Sustainable Healthcare – A curriculum for the UK, which is also approved by the General Medical Council as informing its required learning outcomes for graduates.
Planetary Health
The health of the planet is inextricably linked with the health of people. The evolving discipline of Planetary Health seeks to empower everyone to make a difference, and is a key foundation of Education for Sustainable Healthcare.
Planetary Health Report Card
The Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) is a student-led initiative that encourages medical schools to improve Planetary Health and sustainable healthcare content over time. The metrics cover planetary health curriculum, interdisciplinary research, institutional support, community outreach and advocacy, and campus sustainability.