Planetary health in general practice: a cross-sectional survey in X
Charlotte GOOLAERTS, Thomas FIERLING
In 2019, a global appeal was launched by WONCA, inviting general practitioners to take action for planetary health (PH). Four years after this call, what are GPs doing to promote PH?To describe the opinions of GPs about this subject and the prevalence of pro-PH actions in general practice and to evaluate their knowledge of PH.According to the STROBE guidelines, we conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study by distributing an online questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed by email to general practice networks. Responses were analyzed according to role and demographic data using descriptive statistics.The 974 participants placed significant importance on ecology in their personal lives (mean = 7.1/10) and were relatively aware of the environmental impact of health care. In their professional lives, the importance placed on ecology was lower (mean = 5.80/10). Only 23.1% (n=225) reported being trained during their medical education. During consultations, among the advice that provided both health and environmental cobenefits, the most frequently given were those with a direct benefit to patients' health. The lack of time (n=676, 69.4%) was the first barrier to integrating PH into practice, and the second barrier was the lack of knowledge (n= 606, 62.2%)Our study highlights a significant gap between general practitioners’ strong personal interest in environmental issues and the limited integration of PH principles into clinical practice. PH-related actions remain largely ad hoc, focusing mainly on patient health benefits rather than environmental impact. Major barriers include lack of time, insufficient training, feelings of powerlessness, and the perception of PH as a politicized topic. Nevertheless, GPs express genuine interest and concern about their role in PH. The literature emphasizes their responsibility to lead by example for patients and colleagues, as practice managers and decision-makers. Consistent with previous studies, a discrepancy persists between personal commitment and professional implementation.GPs are citizens who are sensitive to environmental issues, but they are more detached from these issues in their professional lives. It seems crucial to strengthen prevention efforts and integrate environmental considerations into training programs and health policies to create the conditions necessary for this change in practice.
