Continuing professional development on climate change and primary care in Africa: Qualitative study

Background: Climate change is impacting health and healthcare in Africa. Primary health care can improve community resilience, but only if the workforce is prepared. Pre-service training does not yet address climate change, so continuing professional development (CPD) is needed. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate what primary care providers in sub-Saharan Africa need to know about building climate-resilient facilities and services, and how their learning needs should be addressed. Setting: The Primary Care and Family Medicine (PRIMAFAMED) network in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A descriptive exploratory qualitative study purposefully selected members of the network who had published on their experience of climate change. Snowball sampling was used to identify additional informants. Data were analysed with ATLAS.ti and the framework method. Results: Nine respondents from eight countries across Africa identified six major learning needs: (1) awareness of the pathways that link climate change to health and social