Planetary Health Education in Prescribing

Case study submitted as part of Lancet Commission call for case studies.

Team members / location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

Issue: Although medications contribute substantially to the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector, the lack of awareness among prescribers on the environmental impact of medications hinders informed choices on sustainable alternatives.

Intervention: Integrate planetary health considerations into pharmacotherapy education by:

• Establishing a universally accessible framework encompassing expert consensus on all essential criteria for prescribers in determining the environmental impact of medications.
• Identifying essential information gaps in current literature and databases and recommending transparency improvements.
• Developing innovative and freely available educational materials and "Teach the Teacher" modules for seamless integration of planetary health into pharmacotherapy education.

Outcomes:

• Clinical
  If (future) prescribers are trained regarding not prescribing unnecessary medications, patients will suffer fewer unnecessary side effects from these medicines.
• Environmental 
  The environmental impact is difficult to quantify but given the aim to reach many (future) prescribers internationally, and the large impact of medicines on the environment, the potential impact could be significant.
• Financial
  If our project leads to lower unnecessary medication prescribing and waste, it could potentially result in lower healthcare costs.

Key learning point: 

• The project success will be evaluated in the coming years when these materials are used for education.
• The success of the project was influenced by good collaborative partnerships, clear project objectives, broad design, engagement from experts, and funding support. 
• The main limitations were due to the complexity in obtaining information on the total environmental impact of medicines.