Most physicians in Maine believe their patients' health is at risk from climate change, but very few communicate it to their patients. The findings come from a new study published this week in the Maine Policy Review.
More than 75% of respondents believe climate change is worsening medical issues, including asthma, tick-borne illnesses, and mental health.
Dr. Gail Carlson is an environmental studies professor at Colby College who authored the study. She said most respondents believe it's the role of a physician to communicate with the public but don't do so themselves.
"Either they don't have the time, like in an appointment, or they lack confidence in their knowledge about climate change, to be able to talk to their patients, or they think that patients might not be receptive to a conversation about climate change, or that those conversations just wouldn't necessarily be impactful." Carlson said.
Researchers surveyed 100 physicians across multiple specialties throughout the state. Physicians identified very young and elderly people as the most vulnerable to climate change. Two-thirds indicated they were "extremely" or "moderately" concerned with the current health impacts of climate change. Nearly 40% said the are already observing the health impacts in their patients.
Carlson said she thinks climate change should be discussed through the lens of public health.
"I don't necessarily think we need to, you know, mandate any sort of conversations between healthcare workers and their patients," she said. "I'm much more interested in talking about the public health impacts, I think we can, if we use a public health frame for climate change, that's something that people can understand."
The report suggest that more medical programs should include the health effects of climate change as part of their curricula.
