Abstract
Introduction: Health and the environment are intrinsically linked; protection of the environment is essential for ensuring the long-term health of people and communities. As health practitioners, concerned with the well-being of patients, it is imperative we consider the environment whilst providing dental care. Dental care should be provided considering social, environmental and economic constraints, to reduce dental inequalities and the ensure resources for future generations simultaneously. To address these issues “An Introduction to Sustainable Dentistry and Measuring Carbon in Healthcare” e-learning module has been produced to educate the dental workforce to act sustainably and take a more holistic approach to health care delivery. The module is accessible for free via the “ e-learning for health” platform for the NHS workforce.
Aim: An aim at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH) is to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability in dentistry amongst dental professionals.
Methods: This poster details the methods within the module. Initiation of the module was the result of a project and stakeholder mapping exercise involving a programme reference group. A stakeholder analysis identified key groups which the team at CSH would need to influence. Project opportunities were mapped against key groups to isolate which projects could deliver the highest impact. Development of the e-module was deemed the highest impact project to influence a change towards sustainable practice. With the aid of the programme reference group and professionals with knowledge in sustainability and carbon modelling, development of the module commenced. The four Principles of Sustainable healthcare form the foundation of the module content. Disease prevention and health promotion with an emphasis on patient education and self-care can help reduce the burden on an already stretched health care system. Furthermore the development of lean service delivery pathways, with integration of specialist services and use of clinically effective low carbon medical technologies will reduce resource use. Adherence to the four Principles, considering the triple bottom line and wider determinants of health when designing dental systems and in daily clinical practice can enable provision of an efficient, more equitable dental service, thereby reducing dental inequalities in the population of interest. The module successfully launched on NHS Sustainability day this year.
Conclusion: The module is currently under evaluation which will be reported on in the near future. We envision the training module could be used more widely across Europe, and be a driving force for a system wide change in dentistry, as the environment is a concern to all.
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