Assignment 2_Critical Review Environmental Challenges and Global Health_Final

7/30/2019 Assignment 2_Critical Review Environmental Challenges and Global Health_Final

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Noor Alifa Ardianingrum (597374)

Critical Review Environmental Challenges and Global Health

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The rationale of study and the space for improvement

This is a critical review of journal article titled Patient attitudes toward issues of

environmental health (Temte & McCall, 2001). This study provides an estimate of patients

level of interest and concern for several environmental issues. It also explores the major

sources of information they receive and patients trust levels toward these sources.

At a larger level, this study contributes to a better understanding of direct future medical

education and physician involvement in environmental health issues to allow more effective

practices. It provides a chance to develop guidelines and needs analysis in area of

environmental health improvement.

However, it is still found questionable about the topic of environmental issues being chosen

for this study. Since environmental issues cover a very broad area and a range of different

terminology, the study takes an important approach in narrowing the scope it applies in

focusing on. However, the rationale behind this is questionable. The same question also

arise in terms of the authors choice of using choosing particular psychological attributes,

such as patients interest, concern, and trust. It is needed to explain the theoretical

definition on those specific terms in the research background.

The question of methodologies and possible improvement

The questionnaire methods used offers several benefits, including making it easy to be

applied and administered. The format is familiar to most participants and relatively easy to

analyse. Hence, it has the potential to reach a large sample of the given population.

However, it is challenging to ensure that the participants respond to all of the items. In this

case, combining questionnaire methods with interview method (direct interview/phone

interview) could be one of the solutions to follow up missing items and further necessary

probing.

Another possible question in the area of methodologies concerns is the participants

selection procedure. It can be seen that this study had an imbalance in gender participation

and age. It is also questionable as to whether a participant is a new patient who has never

encountered medical services before. Moreover, as questionnaires are a useful method to

investigate patterns, they have the potential to draw a more adequate correlation in

environmental health issues (Phellas, Bloch, & Seale, 2011). For example, it is possible that a

specific illness will result in gaining specific information in an environmental health area,


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such as skin cancer related to sun exposures and global warming. Or, likewise, the length of

treatment will have the impact of patients concern, trust and expectations. Thus, purposive

sample methods should be used. Therefore, criteria would need to be set up depending on

the possible target group. Criteria can be made according to the state of illness and history

of treatment (period of treatment time).

Research evidence and suggestions for improvement

According to this study, patients show a high level of expectation to get more information in

relation to environmental health issues. However, it shows a lack of expected competency of

the physicians in environmental health leads to a gap in trust toward medical practitioners.

In response to these findings, it is suggested that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

that the physicians should provide in terms of delivering environmental health services/

information to their patients should be developed.If the competency of the physicians is

low, one of the possible ways to compare/ measure it is with SOP and recent practice. If it is

stated that the environmental health services are not sufficient, then it is needed to

illustrate the recent possible environmental health been conducted and the standard of

quality to be achieved as a part of this studys background.

Despite of some of these limitations, this study successfully utilised major sources for

disseminating information broadcast media and print media. Thus, this can be followed up

by maximising the usage of those media for mainstreaming environmental health

information. Additionally, in responding to the studys result that women more easily

trusted the information than men, different dissemination strategies and different contents

should be used in targeting men and women, respectively. It is also suggested to response

the family based environmental health information.

Moreover, there is also the potentiality for physicians to improve their role in environmental

health. Improvement could be made by doing meta-analysis of the contents of

environmental health information, and of the role and services that physicians are expected

to have in terms of the dissemination of environmental health information. Links could also

be made in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). For example, a

mobile application (app) and website could be developed regarding to the topic above. This

development would also increase the ability to reach patients who were unable to attend

hospital.


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It is also interesting to examine the responses from participants who perceived that they

had received too much information on environmental issues. This finding could help in the

development of a baseline for effective environmental health education effort. If there is

perceived to be too much information, what are the factors that make patients think this

way? Is it the content? Or, is it the frequency? It is important to prevent patients from

feeling overwhelmed with information, which can lead to ignorance and avoidance

behaviour on their part. The study also shows that some patients believe there is a lack of

information on environmental issues, and they expected to gain more. In a similar way, it is

important to capture what information these patients expected to get and how they

expected to get it.

This discussion then leads into the discussion of the researcher standing point. If it is stated

that general physicians need to improve their skills in environmental health, then how far

should they go? Are they expected to deliver all of the information on environmental

health? Or, should the patients be referred to specific environmental health officers,

specialists or practitioners (as in United Kingdom system)? If that is so, then the referral

system needs to be clear.

Reference

Phellas, C. N., Bloch, A., & Seale, C. (2011). Structured methods: interviews,

questionnaires, and observation. Researching Society and Culture, 181.

Temte, J. L., & McCall, J. C. (2001). Patient attitudes toward issues of environmental

health. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 12(2), 86-92.

Assignment 2_Critical Review Environmental Challenges and Global Health_Final

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