An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design

A.L. Soares; S.C. Buttigieg; J.G. Couto; B. Bak; S. McFadden; C. Hughes; P. McClure; J. Rodrigues; I. Bravo

doi:10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006

An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design

A.L. Soares
, S.C. Buttigieg
, J.G. Couto
, B. Bak
, S. McFadden
, C. Hughes
, P. McClure
, J. Rodrigues
, I. Bravo

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

73 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Introduction
Global warming and the increase in greenhouse gases are a current concern worldwide. The healthcare sector constitutes about 4.4% of all emissions. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs) regarding environment-related concepts to inform the development of educational curriculum.

Methods
A validated self-designed survey was distributed to TR/RTTs across Europe by the SAFE EUROPE partners and via social media between October 2021 and February 2022. The survey was divided into six sections: (i) demographics, (ii) knowledge of Circular Economy (CE) and Green Skills (GS), (iii) personal attitudes, (iv) TR/RTTs attitudes, (v) the importance of CE, and (vi) education. Questions consisted of mostly Likert scales complemented with other closed- and open-ended questions.

Results
31%–42% of participants are aware of national and departmental policies in CE and GS concepts. Even though half of the participants considered that they advocate and practice CE, the open questions indicated that participants only focus on waste management, ignoring all the other dimensions of CE in healthcare. Personal attitudes and lifestyles also did not reflect CE.

TR/RTTs considered CE practices and GS development essential. However, the suggested academic level at which these skills should be developed was split between High School (44%) and Bachelor's degree (32%).

Conclusion
It is essential to raise awareness among TR/RTTs about the various dimensions of CE applied to healthcare: “green transportation”, “environment-friendly procurement”, “hospital building design”, “food process optimisation”, “water reduction”, “energy efficiency”, and “waste management”.

Implications for practice
These GS must be developed by TR/RTTs to decrease their impact on the environment. Their training may need to be lifelong, starting during basic high school education and continuing as healthcare professionals after graduation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	274-283
Number of pages	10
Journal	Radiography
Volume	29
Issue number	2
Early online date	6 Jan 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 31 Mar 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was co-funded by the SAFE EUROPE project under the Erasmus+ Sector Skill Alliances programme [grant agreement 2018-2993/001-001].The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Jéssica Rodrigues is supported by a PhD fellowship from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (UI/BD/152282/2021).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Funding

Funding Information: This work was co-funded by the SAFE EUROPE project under the Erasmus+ Sector Skill Alliances programme [grant agreement 2018-2993/001-001].The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Jéssica Rodrigues is supported by a PhD fellowship from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (UI/BD/152282/2021). Publisher Copyright: © 2023

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 4 Quality Education
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 14 Life Below Water
SDG 15 Life on Land
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Keywords

curriculum design
circular ecoknowledge
radiographers
Green skills
Radiation therapist
Therapeutic radiographer
Circular economy
Green healthcare
Education

Access to Document

10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S1078817422002140-mainFinal published version, 1.15 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Soares, A. L., Buttigieg, S. C., Couto, J. G., Bak, B., McFadden, S., Hughes, C., McClure, P., Rodrigues, J., & Bravo, I. (2023). An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design. Radiography, 29(2), 274-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006

@article{415a6e9bf012470590fa754b3d2acda3,

title = "An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design",

abstract = "Introduction Global warming and the increase in greenhouse gases are a current concern worldwide. The healthcare sector constitutes about 4.4\% of all emissions. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs) regarding environment-related concepts to inform the development of educational curriculum. Methods A validated self-designed survey was distributed to TR/RTTs across Europe by the SAFE EUROPE partners and via social media between October 2021 and February 2022. The survey was divided into six sections: (i) demographics, (ii) knowledge of Circular Economy (CE) and Green Skills (GS), (iii) personal attitudes, (iv) TR/RTTs attitudes, (v) the importance of CE, and (vi) education. Questions consisted of mostly Likert scales complemented with other closed- and open-ended questions. Results 31\%–42\% of participants are aware of national and departmental policies in CE and GS concepts. Even though half of the participants considered that they advocate and practice CE, the open questions indicated that participants only focus on waste management, ignoring all the other dimensions of CE in healthcare. Personal attitudes and lifestyles also did not reflect CE. TR/RTTs considered CE practices and GS development essential. However, the suggested academic level at which these skills should be developed was split between High School (44\%) and Bachelor's degree (32\%). Conclusion It is essential to raise awareness among TR/RTTs about the various dimensions of CE applied to healthcare: “green transportation”, “environment-friendly procurement”, “hospital building design”, “food process optimisation”, “water reduction”, “energy efficiency”, and “waste management”. Implications for practice These GS must be developed by TR/RTTs to decrease their impact on the environment. Their training may need to be lifelong, starting during basic high school education and continuing as healthcare professionals after graduation.",

keywords = "curriculum design, circular ecoknowledge, radiographers, Green skills, Radiation therapist, Therapeutic radiographer, Circular economy, Green healthcare, Education",

author = "A.L. Soares and S.C. Buttigieg and J.G. Couto and B. Bak and S. McFadden and C. Hughes and P. McClure and J. Rodrigues and I. Bravo",

note = "Funding Information: This work was co-funded by the SAFE EUROPE project under the Erasmus+ Sector Skill Alliances programme [grant agreement 2018-2993/001-001].The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.J{\'e}ssica Rodrigues is supported by a PhD fellowship from Funda{\c c}{\~a}o para a Ci{\^e}ncia e a Tecnologia, Portugal (UI/BD/152282/2021). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023",

year = "2023",

month = mar,

day = "31",

doi = "10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006",

language = "English",

volume = "29",

pages = "274--283",

journal = "Radiography",

issn = "1078-8174",

publisher = "W.B. Saunders Ltd",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design

AU - Soares, A.L.

AU - Buttigieg, S.C.

AU - Couto, J.G.

AU - Bak, B.

AU - McFadden, S.

AU - Hughes, C.

AU - McClure, P.

AU - Rodrigues, J.

AU - Bravo, I.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was co-funded by the SAFE EUROPE project under the Erasmus+ Sector Skill Alliances programme [grant agreement 2018-2993/001-001].The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Jéssica Rodrigues is supported by a PhD fellowship from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (UI/BD/152282/2021). Publisher Copyright: © 2023

PY - 2023/3/31

Y1 - 2023/3/31

N2 - Introduction Global warming and the increase in greenhouse gases are a current concern worldwide. The healthcare sector constitutes about 4.4% of all emissions. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs) regarding environment-related concepts to inform the development of educational curriculum. Methods A validated self-designed survey was distributed to TR/RTTs across Europe by the SAFE EUROPE partners and via social media between October 2021 and February 2022. The survey was divided into six sections: (i) demographics, (ii) knowledge of Circular Economy (CE) and Green Skills (GS), (iii) personal attitudes, (iv) TR/RTTs attitudes, (v) the importance of CE, and (vi) education. Questions consisted of mostly Likert scales complemented with other closed- and open-ended questions. Results 31%–42% of participants are aware of national and departmental policies in CE and GS concepts. Even though half of the participants considered that they advocate and practice CE, the open questions indicated that participants only focus on waste management, ignoring all the other dimensions of CE in healthcare. Personal attitudes and lifestyles also did not reflect CE. TR/RTTs considered CE practices and GS development essential. However, the suggested academic level at which these skills should be developed was split between High School (44%) and Bachelor's degree (32%). Conclusion It is essential to raise awareness among TR/RTTs about the various dimensions of CE applied to healthcare: “green transportation”, “environment-friendly procurement”, “hospital building design”, “food process optimisation”, “water reduction”, “energy efficiency”, and “waste management”. Implications for practice These GS must be developed by TR/RTTs to decrease their impact on the environment. Their training may need to be lifelong, starting during basic high school education and continuing as healthcare professionals after graduation.

AB - Introduction Global warming and the increase in greenhouse gases are a current concern worldwide. The healthcare sector constitutes about 4.4% of all emissions. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs) regarding environment-related concepts to inform the development of educational curriculum. Methods A validated self-designed survey was distributed to TR/RTTs across Europe by the SAFE EUROPE partners and via social media between October 2021 and February 2022. The survey was divided into six sections: (i) demographics, (ii) knowledge of Circular Economy (CE) and Green Skills (GS), (iii) personal attitudes, (iv) TR/RTTs attitudes, (v) the importance of CE, and (vi) education. Questions consisted of mostly Likert scales complemented with other closed- and open-ended questions. Results 31%–42% of participants are aware of national and departmental policies in CE and GS concepts. Even though half of the participants considered that they advocate and practice CE, the open questions indicated that participants only focus on waste management, ignoring all the other dimensions of CE in healthcare. Personal attitudes and lifestyles also did not reflect CE. TR/RTTs considered CE practices and GS development essential. However, the suggested academic level at which these skills should be developed was split between High School (44%) and Bachelor's degree (32%). Conclusion It is essential to raise awareness among TR/RTTs about the various dimensions of CE applied to healthcare: “green transportation”, “environment-friendly procurement”, “hospital building design”, “food process optimisation”, “water reduction”, “energy efficiency”, and “waste management”. Implications for practice These GS must be developed by TR/RTTs to decrease their impact on the environment. Their training may need to be lifelong, starting during basic high school education and continuing as healthcare professionals after graduation.

KW - curriculum design

KW - circular ecoknowledge

KW - radiographers

KW - Green skills

KW - Radiation therapist

KW - Therapeutic radiographer

KW - Circular economy

KW - Green healthcare

KW - Education

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85146047379

U2 - 10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006

DO - 10.1016/j.radi.2022.12.006

M3 - Article

C2 - 36621178

SN - 1078-8174

VL - 29

SP - 274

EP - 283

JO - Radiography

JF - Radiography

IS - 2

ER -

An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Education of therapeutic radiographers in the European Union: competencies, professional mobility and patient care

Cite this

An evaluation of knowledge of circular economy among Therapeutic Radiographers/Radiation Therapists (TR/RTTs): Results of a European survey to inform curriculum design

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Student theses

Education of therapeutic radiographers in the European Union: competencies, professional mobility and patient care

Cite this