WoW (World of Work) day: Engaging sixth form students in the issue of how we can reduce the carbon footprint of asthma (ID 475)
University of Oxford
Funding: None
Abstract
BackgroundVarious strategies have been proposed for reducing usage of pressurised metered dose inhalers, which account for a large proportion of the NHS carbon footprint. We used this real-world problem as the basis for an employer workshop at ‘World of Work’ (‘WoW’) work experience days for Year 12/13 students at Cherwell School, a co-educational state school in Oxford.
Method
‘WoW’ days took place in October 2022 and April 2023 with the overall theme ‘Sustainability and Green Futures’. Sessions were attended by students interested in health care careers, and the workshop was facilitated by a GP. The session began with an interactive teaching session about asthma and its management, then the students divided into small groups to come up with a strategy to answer the question ‘How can we reduce the carbon footprint of asthma?’. This was presented along with a poster to the whole group at the end of the workshop, and thematically summarised by the facilitator.
Results
30-40 year 12 or 13 students attended each workshop session, some of whom brought their own or family lived experience of asthma. Strategies broadly divided into different levels at which the intervention could take place: GP surgery, pharmacy, health region and pharmaceutical industry, which were themed as follows:
1) GP surgery: asthma reviews to promote correct inhaler usage/less wastage; education about triggers; increased self-management; information to asthma patients about environmental impact of asthma.
2) Pharmacy: patient education leaflets along with prescriptions; accessible recycling schemes with incentivisation.
3) Health region: GP education events; searches to identify patients who might benefit from biologics.
4) Pharmaceutical industry: Assisted dry powder inhalers; dose counters; longer expiry dates; refillable cartridges; biodegradable plastic; improving usability.
Conclusion
Involving students in problem-solving was effective and rewarding on both sides. Engaging students in healthcare planning could be helpful in future consultations.
Conflicts of interest: None
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