Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into healthcare education: Utilising Hodges' Model

Authors and presenter*

• Silvana Bettiol, Tasmanian School of Medicine Health Innovation Program, CoHM*

• Peter Jones, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Bolton, NW England, UK

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), provides a global framework for achieving human and planetary well-being. These goals emphasise interconnected priorities such as health, education, environmental sustainability, and social justice. However, healthcare systems often suffer from fragmentation: with professional silos hindering interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated care. This Lightning presentation explores how educators can address these challenges using Hodges' model as a tool for fostering integration and collaboration across sectors and disciplines.

A conceptual analysis was conducted to map the SDGs onto Hodges' Health Career Model (Hodges, 1989), which organises care across four conceptual domains: individual, group, political, and environmental. This process aimed to demonstrate the model's potential for facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare education and practice.

The mapping revealed intricate relationships between health, social equity, and natural resource use. Applying Hodges' model with students in the CAM530 Systems Thinking in Public Health unit in the Master of Public Health program provided a structured framework for aligning SDG goals promoting critical thinking and reflective practice. Student feedback indicated the model encouraged a holistic analysis of problems: integrating diverse perspectives on health and social care and world views.

By transcending professional and disciplinary boundaries, Hodges' model supports a comprehensive approach to healthcare. Aligning the SDGs with the model enables educators, practitioners, and students to engage in complex health issues in an integrated and sustainable manner. This framework fosters a deeper understanding of the interconnected factors that influence health and well-being, offering valuable insights for designing more sustainable healthcare solutions at both individual and societal levels.

References

Hodges, B. E. (1989). The health career model. In S. M. Hinchcliffe (Ed.), Nursing practice and health care (1st ed., pp. 481–485). Edward Arnold.

United Nations Development Program. (2024). The SDGs in action. United Nations. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals