Student participation in accelerated experience-based co-design for healthcare decarbonisation education: a focused ethnographic study.
13 affiliations
- 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK. [email protected].
- 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
- 3School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
- 4Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
- 5School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
- 6Pre-Clinical Affairs, College of Nursing, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
- 7QU Health Office of Assessment and Accreditation, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
- 8Faculty of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
- 9Facultad de Educación y Psicología, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
- 10Faculty of Health Science, Ulster University, Londonderry, UK.
- 11School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
- 12Estates Directorate, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
- 13Royal College of Nursing, London, Greater London, UK.
Abstract
Background
Pre-registration health professional students receive limited education on sustainable clinical practice within healthcare. Education on healthcare decarbonisation, a key strategy for reducing the environmental impact of healthcare delivery, also remains underdeveloped within many curricula. Co-designed e-resources offer a practical approach to help address this gap; however, their effectiveness depends on being relevant, engaging, and grounded in students' experiences. This study aimed to co-design an e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation using an Accelerated Experience-Based Co-Design (AEBCD) approach with an embedded focused ethnography.Methods
An adapted four stage AEBCD approach was used. Four co-design workshops were conducted over four months with interdisciplinary health profession students (nursing and pharmacy). An embedded focused ethnography captured social, cultural, and interactional dynamics through observational researcher field notes. Artefacts and post-workshop focus groups informed iterative development and explored participants experiences of co-design. Field notes were analysed using Rapid Qualitative Inquiry (RQI) and focus groups were analysed thematically.Results
Fifteen pre-registration nursing and pharmacy students participated in the workshops. The co-design process resulted in a four-module gamified e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation. Three overarching themes were identified during post-workshop focus groups were: (1) increasing agency and confidence in action, (2) fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and shared purpose, and (3) the value of structured facilitation and tangible outputs. Students reported enhanced engagement, ownership, and perceived readiness to apply sustainability principles in future professional practice.Conclusion
The AEBCD approach provided a robust and participatory framework for co-designing a learner-centred e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation. The integration of focused ethnography strengthened understanding of how co-design processes shaped engagement and decision-making, ensuring that stakeholder experiences directly informed both content and delivery. This combined methodological approach offers a transferable process for integrating AEBCD with focused ethnography, strengthening the visibility, reflexivity, and reproducibility of co-design in health professions education.
Related
- Beyond rehabilitation: a qualitative exploration of sport participation context and FES-cycling user experience in spinal cord injury
- PARTNER : Nurse Participation and Professional Experience During Family Conferences in Intensive Care: A Qualitative Study
- What shapes participation in cerebral palsy? A Co-produced PEM-CY scoping review with mothers with lived experience
- Empathic Leadership in Healthcare Drives Experience and Workforce Stability: Insights From a Leading Healthcare Organization
- Artificial intelligence-enabled healthcare access and user experience: comparative institutional analysis and survey evidence from China
BibTeX
@article{mclaughlinborlace2026student,
title = {{Student participation in accelerated experience-based co-design for healthcare decarbonisation education: a focused ethnographic study.}},
author = {Nuala McLaughlin-Borlace and Stephanie Craig and Tara Anderson and Nuala Flood and Laura Steele and Tracy Levett-Jones and Fadwa Alhalaiqa and Dalal Hammoudi Halat and Norfadzilah Ahmad and Jesus Sánchez-Martín and Charlotte McArdle and Naomi Tutticci and Sara Lynch and Rose Gallagher and Gary Mitchell},
journal = {BMC medical education},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-10015-1},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902335},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Student participation in accelerated experience-based co-design for healthcare decarbonisation education: a focused ethnographic study.
AU - Nuala McLaughlin-Borlace
AU - Stephanie Craig
AU - Tara Anderson
AU - Nuala Flood
AU - Laura Steele
AU - Tracy Levett-Jones
AU - Fadwa Alhalaiqa
AU - Dalal Hammoudi Halat
AU - Norfadzilah Ahmad
AU - Jesus Sánchez-Martín
AU - Charlotte McArdle
AU - Naomi Tutticci
AU - Sara Lynch
AU - Rose Gallagher
AU - Gary Mitchell
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC medical education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-10015-1
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902335
AB - Background Pre-registration health professional students receive limited education on sustainable clinical practice within healthcare. Education on healthcare decarbonisation, a key strategy for reducing the environmental impact of healthcare delivery, also remains underdeveloped within many curricula. Co-designed e-resources offer a practical approach to help address this gap; however, their effectiveness depends on being relevant, engaging, and grounded in students' experiences. This study aimed to co-design an e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation using an Accelerated Experience-Based Co-Design (AEBCD) approach with an embedded focused ethnography.Methods An adapted four stage AEBCD approach was used. Four co-design workshops were conducted over four months with interdisciplinary health profession students (nursing and pharmacy). An embedded focused ethnography captured social, cultural, and interactional dynamics through observational researcher field notes. Artefacts and post-workshop focus groups informed iterative development and explored participants experiences of co-design. Field notes were analysed using Rapid Qualitative Inquiry (RQI) and focus groups were analysed thematically.Results Fifteen pre-registration nursing and pharmacy students participated in the workshops. The co-design process resulted in a four-module gamified e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation. Three overarching themes were identified during post-workshop focus groups were: (1) increasing agency and confidence in action, (2) fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and shared purpose, and (3) the value of structured facilitation and tangible outputs. Students reported enhanced engagement, ownership, and perceived readiness to apply sustainability principles in future professional practice.Conclusion The AEBCD approach provided a robust and participatory framework for co-designing a learner-centred e-resource on healthcare decarbonisation. The integration of focused ethnography strengthened understanding of how co-design processes shaped engagement and decision-making, ensuring that stakeholder experiences directly informed both content and delivery. This combined methodological approach offers a transferable process for integrating AEBCD with focused ethnography, strengthening the visibility, reflexivity, and reproducibility of co-design in health professions education.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -