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Masterclass in Sustainable Health Systems


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DETAILS

COURSE TYPE: Online Course: Self-directed learning + four online sessions

DATES:

  • Online content available October 1-29, 2020

  • Weekly sessions: Thursday, October 8, 15, 22 & 29, 5:30-7:00 pm EST

ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: Canva

FOLLOW-UP SESSION: January 2021 (date TBD)

COST: $250 plus HST*

*If cost is prohibitive, please contact us as some subsidies are available.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Climate change is recognized as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century (Lancet, 2018; WHO, 2015; UCL/Lancet Commission, May 2009). Canada’s healthcare system is a large, resource-intensive sector of the Canadian economy; it is responsible for at least 4.6% of national carbon dioxide emissions annually (Eckelman, 2018), and ranks third in per capita health system emissions globally (Lancet, 2019). While the sector dedicated to extending and improving our quality of life is a significant contributor to a phenomenon putting human health at risk, there are many opportunities for the health sector to develop and implement sustainability interventions that protect, promote, and prioritize health.

The Masterclass in Sustainable Health Systems is a professional education program for frontline staff and administrators and leaders within care delivery, professional, and support organizations with an interest in high quality, low carbon care. This year, the program is being offered online by the University of Toronto's Centre for Sustainable Health Systems in partnership with Dalhousie's Healthy Populations Institute.

Through self-directed online learning and weekly Zoom meetings, participants will gain knowledge, develop skills, and forge collaborations that will help them advocate for and participate in a shift toward a more environmentally sustainable health system. A certificate of completion will be awarded at the end of the course.

AGENDA  

PART I: Motivating Change: Inspiring a shift toward sustainable healthcare 

  • Week 1: The Case for Change: What is “sustainable healthcare” and why do we need it?

    • Meeting: Thursday, October 8th; 5:30-7:00 pm EST

  • Week 2: Communicating the Need for Change: Strategic sustainability messaging

    • Meeting: Thursday, October 15th; 5:30-7:00 pm EST

PART II:  Making Change: Innovating a shift toward sustainable healthcare

  • Week 3: Quality Improvement: Approaching sustainability through a QI lens

    • Meeting: Thursday, October 22nd; 5:30-7:00 pm EST

  • Week 4: Measurement: Quantifying the need for change & evaluating its impact

    • Meeting: Thursday, October 29th; 5:30-7:00 pm EST

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

PART I: Motivating Change: Inspiring a shift toward sustainable healthcare

Part I will provide an introduction to the relationship between health systems and environmental sustainability, an overview of strategies to communicate effectively on sustainability opportunities.

At successful completion of “Week 1: The Case for Change,” learners will be able to: 

  • Recognize the range of environmental challenges facing the human community, and their implications for population health

  • Explain the environmental impacts of the health sector

  • Identify the characteristics of sustainable care

  • Recognize opportunities for sustainable improvements in the health sector

At successful completion of “Week 2: Communicating the Need for Change,” learners will be able to: 

  • Articulate why they have a particularly important role to play in advocating for change

  • Develop an understanding of some of the key challenges they may face in generating meaningful engagement on sustainability in healthcare, and how to address these

  • Identify whether there is a particular culture of sustainability that characterizes their care setting and determine what framings of sustainability are most likely to resonate/generate buy-in in that setting

PART II:  Making Change: Innovating a shift toward sustainable healthcare

PART II will provide a solid understanding of how foundational concepts and tools of quality improvement and environmental footprinting can be used to address sustainability challenges in the health sector.

At successful completion of “Week 3: Quality Improvement,” learners will be able to: 

  • Explain the Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI) Framework

  • Explain the Quality Improvement process

  • Approach sustainability interventions through a SusQI lens

  • Outline a strategy for implementing a sustainability intervention

At successful completion of “Week 4: Measurement,” learners will be able to: 

  • Understand the various indicators used to quantify environmental impact and how they relate to health systems

  • Begin to develop a sense of the different methods that can be used to quantify these indicators

  • Identify key data points that can be collected to make the case for change and to evaluate the success of the change