Integrating the sustainable development goals into health professions' curricula: using the nominal group technique to guide their contextualisation

Joanna McCormack; Christy Noble; Shannon Rutherford; Lynda J Ross; Andrea Bialocerkowski

doi:10.1186/s12909-024-05968-0

Integrating the sustainable development goals into health professions' curricula: using the nominal group technique to guide their contextualisation

BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 5;24(1):972. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05968-0.

Authors

Joanna McCormack¹, Christy Noble², Shannon Rutherford³, Lynda J Ross⁴, Andrea Bialocerkowski⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. j.mccormack@griffith.edu.au.
² Academy for Medical Education, Medical School, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.
³ School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
⁴ School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia.
⁵ Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.

Abstract

Background: To embed the Sustainable Development Goals in health profession education, educators must contextualise them to their profession and geographical region. This study used the nominal group technique to contextualise the SDGs for Australian nutrition and dietetics tertiary education programs by determining the specific knowledge, skills, and values required for graduating dietitians to practise sustainably.

Methods: In 2022, 23 experts in food and sustainability attended a group session that employed the nominal group technique to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals knowledge, skills, and values Australian dietetic students should develop. After the group session, participants ranked the Sustainable Development Goals according to their perceived level of importance for student dietitians. These data were analysed using multi-methods, including a summation of the rankings, directed qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: The three highest-priority Sustainable Development Goals identified were (1) Zero Hunger, (2) Good Health and Well-Being, and (3) Responsible Consumption and Production, which were then considered with the qualitative findings. The main categories that were generated from the content analysis reflected the broad knowledge, skills, and values student dietitians should develop. The preliminary codes provided specific details for each of the main categories. The thematic analysis generated two additional themes: the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and authentic experiential learning activities.

Conclusions: The method employed for this study provides a useful framework for health professions to contextualise the Sustainable Development Goals to their profession and geographical region. For this study, the ranking process and the qualitative data analysis enabled the Sustainable Development Goals to be reframed in a way that would be meaningful for dietetic educators and students and demonstrate the interrelatedness of the goals. The direct qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis identified the knowledge, skills, and values student dietitians should develop.

Keywords: Dietitian; Health profession education; Higher education; Nominal group technique; Sustainability; Sustainable development goals.

MeSH terms

Australia
Curriculum*
Dietetics / education
Goals
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Nutritionists / education
Qualitative Research
Sustainable Development*