Attitudes to environmental sustainability in general practice

This project consisted of two parts.

Study 1 was a a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of GPs practising in the geographic footprint of the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECCPHN).

• To establish GPs’ knowledge of, attitudes to, and practice of, environmental sustainability within the practice.
• To establish barriers to implementing environmental sustainability within Australian general practice.
• To establish associations of GPs working in practices with climate change mitigation measures in place.

Study 2 was a cross-sectional analysis of ReCEnT data (including specific items added to the 2019.1 Registrar Practice and Registrar Projects Questionnaire) and includes GP registrars in Terms 1,2 and 3 in NSW, ACT, Tasmania and Eastern Victoria.

• To establish levels and associations of registrars thinking climate change will affect their patients’ health in the next 10-20 years.
• To establish levels and associations of registrars thinking teaching about the health effects of climate change should be included in their vocational training.
• To establish levels and associations of registrars thinking GPs should have a leadership role in encouraging their general practices to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.