MDH partners with Potter in how-to video about discussing climate change with patients
November 10, 2023
Seventy-five percent of Minnesota’s health care professionals agreed that climate change is happening, however, only 21% felt well prepared to discuss climate change, according to the recent study Understanding the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Healthcare Professionals toward Climate Change and Health in Minnesota.
To help close this gap, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) partnered on an educational video, How to discuss the health impacts of climate change with patients in a clinical setting.
The video demonstrates best practices for patient-provider conversations about personal health risks in the context of a changing climate. In one scenario, the patient is engaged with the topic. In another scenario, the patient is not receptive to the topic and the provider redirects the conversation using a discussion technique.
“Climate change discussions can protect health by addressing existing risks, preparing patients for health impacts of a changing environment and encouraging stewardship of the natural world,” says Teddie Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, clinical professor and director of Planetary Health at the School of Nursing.
The video is available to all people on the MDH website, and national and international use by health professional schools and practicing professionals is anticipated.
Media Contacts
Related Stories
Lyla June Johnston, PhD, delivered the 4th annual Planetary Health Lectureship Remembering our Ecological Purpose: Indigenous Food Systems and the Promise of Homo Sapiens, which detailed Indigenous food systems and advocated for a mind shift to better tend the land.
The School of Nursing announced the launch of the Center for Planetary Health and Environmental Justice to educate future planetary health leaders, promote planetary health practice and advance innovative research.
Clinical Professor Teddie Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, who serves as the director of planetary health for the School of Nursing, was appointed to the inaugural advisory committee of Climate Crossroads, a major climate initiative from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.