title: Exploring emerging learning needs: a UK-wide consultation on environmental sustainability learning objectives for medical education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to engage wide-ranging stakeholders and develop consensus learning objectives for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
  
  
  METHODS
  A UK-wide consultation garnered opinions of healthcare students, healthcare educators and other key stakeholders about environmental sustainability in medical education. The policy Delphi approach informed this study. Draft learning objectives were revised iteratively during three rounds of consultation: online questionnaire or telephone interview, face-to-face seminar and email consultation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve draft learning objectives were developed based on review of relevant literature. In round one, 64 participants' median ratings of the learning objectives were 3.5 for relevance and 3.0 for feasibility on a Likert scale of one to four. Revisions were proposed, e.g. to highlight relevance to public health and professionalism. Thirty three participants attended round two. Conflicting opinions were explored. Added content areas included health benefits of sustainable behaviours. To enhance usability, restructuring provided three overarching learning objectives, each with subsidiary points. All participants from rounds one and two were contacted in round three, and no further edits were required.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first attempt to define consensus learning objectives for medical students about environmental sustainability. Allowing a wide range of stakeholders to comment on multiple iterations of the document stimulated their engagement with the issues raised and ownership of the resulting learning objectives.
authors.affiliation: Hull York Medical School, York, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Walpole
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mortimer
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inman
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Isobel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Braithwaite
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D032921:Consensus; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006295:Health Resources / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: curriculum development; education research; environmental sustainability; medical errors; professionalism; social determinants of health