People are increasingly concerned about potential environmental health hazards and often ask their physicians questions such as: "Is the tap water safe to drink?" "Is it safe to live near power lines?" Unfortunately, physicians often lack the information and training related to environmental health risks needed to answer such questions. This book discusses six competency based learning objectives for all medical school students, discusses the relevance of environmental health to specific courses and clerkships, and demonstrates how to integrate environmental health into the curriculum through published case studies, some of which are included in one of the book's three appendices. Also included is a guide on where to obtain additional information for treatment, referral, and follow-up for diseases with possible environmental and/or occupational origins.

Contents

• COMMITTEE ON CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Executive Summary
• 1. Introduction
  • DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
  • ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN
  • ORIGIN AND ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
• 2. Curriculum Content
  • COMPONENTS OF A CURRICULUM
  • COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 3. Implementation Strategies
  • CURRICULUM ACCESS POINTS AND TEACHING STRATEGIES
  • ENHANCING FACULTY AWARENESS
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 4. Changing Medical Education
  • CALLS FOR REFORM IN MEDICAL EDUCATION
  • BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• 5. Concluding Remarks
• References
• Appendixes
  • A Taking an Exposure History
  • B Medical School Courses and Clerkships: Access Points for Integrating Environmental Medicine
  • C Case Studies in Environmental Medicine
  • D Resources: Agencies, Organizations, Services, References, and Tables of Environmental Health Hazards
  • E Committee and Staff Biographies

This project was supported by funds from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency (contract number U61/ATU398777–01).

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to enlist distinguished members of the appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. In this, the Institute acts under both the Academy's 1863 congressional charter responsibility to be an adviser to the federal government and its own initiative in identifying issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I.Shine is President of the Institute of Medicine.