How The Healthcare Sector Can Become More Sustainable
by Rita Jaime
A lot of talk about sustainability centers on the individual, and what the average person can do to protect the environment. However, a CIO feature on sustainability points out that it’s corporations that have greater power to effect change. While individual actions indeed add up, change arrives faster when people, especially organizations, make a collective effort.
The healthcare sector should be more cognizant of its effect on the environment. After all, environmental issues affect everyone’s physical and mental health. Doing their part to make the earth more livable is just another way the healthcare sector can promote human health. Here’s how they can start.
Cut Down Plastic Use
We mentioned in ‘Let’s Make Sustainability Inclusive’ that medical waste is difficult to avoid. Many medical devices such as, syringes, swabs, and bandages are designed to be single-use for the convenience of providers and the safety of patients. However, it is possible for the healthcare sector to reduce medical waste by choosing reusable items or forgoing single-use plastics when it is safe. For example, in the United Kingdom some hospitals encouraged hand-washing in place of wearing gloves for tasks where contamination risks were low. Cutting down on surgical gloves saved them 42,000 pounds worth of plastic waste.
Encourage Telemedicine Adoption
The last two years have proven that in many cases, remote care can be just as effective as in-person care. It is also more convenient. For patients and providers alike, telemedicine offers great flexibility. Tech companies have also made it easy for healthcare workers to access remote opportunities. A remote physicians network called, Wheel, matches clinicians with remote care jobs that suit their specific skillsets and schedules.
Partnering with these companies helps healthcare providers take control of their workday and reduce burnout. So when providers make the effort to make telemedicine convenient, fewer people commute to medical facilities, significantly reducing transport emissions. Given the benefits of telehealth on convenience, cost, and sustainability, it is in everyone’s best interest that telemedicine and healthcare professionals continue to provide remote care options even as COVID-19 transmission risks wane.
Reduce Paper Waste
Paper is another common type of waste medical facilities produce. Unlike single-use plastics, paper is much easier to get rid of, especially since digital solutions have slowly replaced paper everywhere else. Doctors can follow the trend and choose digital over paper whenever they can. Instead of handing out paper prescriptions, doctors can simply email prescription letters to their patients. Doctors can also store their patients’ medical information on electronic health records instead of keeping paper files.
Switch To Electric Ambulances
Telemedicine reduces emissions from health-related commutes, but there are also patients who have no choice other than in-person care. Emergency patients might need care beyond telemedicine and would struggle to access treatment without a car or ambulance. In this case, hospitals can cut down gas emissions by investing in eco-friendly vehicles. For example, electric ambulances use electricity rather than petrol. They have no tailpipe emissions, which reduces air pollution. Medical transportation provider, DocGo, is already leading the way for electric ambulances in the United States. In 2022, it acquired its first all-electric vehicle, a custom battery-electric ambulance that serves its New York fleet. By 2032, DocGo hopes to create a fleet exclusively composed of electric ambulances.
Choose Green Energy Sources
The healthcare sector is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, as revealed by a 2021 United Nations report on climate change. It is responsible for about 4.4% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. To reduce their carbon footprint, medical institutions can choose cleaner energy sources. Hospitals, for example, can install solar panels on their roofs or other available areas to reduce their consumption of non-renewable energy resources.
The goals of sustainability and the healthcare sector are completely aligned. By making sustainable choices, the healthcare sector can protect both its patients and the environment.