Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in fostering wide-scale behaviour change and leading the transition to a more sustainable healthcare system globally. As trusted leaders within society, health care professionals have a unique opportunity to make this happen. In this topic we will seek opportunities to make a difference.
CSH Centre for Sustainable Healtchare has a large forum on primary care. Topics here:
Jessica Powell meets the doctors and their staff who are practising what they preach when it comes environmental initiatives to protect the planet—and their patients THREE WAYS TO GROW A GREENER PRACTICE • Check out the Green Impact for Health Toolkit ( greenimpact.org.uk/GIforHealth ). It lists actions that general practices can take, from using a renewable energy supplier to fitting valves on taps to save water—all with the opportunity to be...
By comparison to other levels of care, no, primary care may not have the greatest (adverse) impact on the environment, but the lack thereof does have a tremendous impact. Still could, PC better? Yes, of course. There is data on a topic rather close to our hearts, i.e., PoCT Dx (Point-of-Care Diagnostics); see for example example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246434/
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, now more than ever we see the need for more resilient and circular healthcare systems that can both minimise their contribution to climate change and adapt to the resulting health threats. It has been an extremely challenging year for the sector and there is still a long way to go before “returning to normal”, but the question remains - what do we want this “normal” to look like?
Dear Pim, I can share some specific experiences and best practices from community pharmacy practice. PGEU has recently published a best practice on green and sustainable pharmacy which outlines the contribution that community pharmacists can make in promoting a green and sustainable future for pharmacy in Europe and provides an overview of ongoing best practices across Europe, including e.g. collection schemes for unused medicines. It also con...
Does Primary Care have a big environmental footprint? Do we produce much waste and CO2 emissions? Do we use much energy, more than necessary? I suspect we have no data. There are data for the health system as a whole, though, as the Health care climate footprint report describes. Can we, as Primary Care professionals, contribute to greener health care, by identifying and exchanging good and bad practices? I propose to try and discuss with...
