We are living in a world with numerous technological advancements that make our lives easier, simpler and better. Yet, the future for our children might not be so bright. The civilization’s impact on our planet, the climate change and shrinking ozone layer are casting a shadow on humanity in the upcoming centuries. This calls for action in any industry, including the medical one, thus sustainability in healthcare has become more important than ever before. Yet, how to make healthcare more sustainable? We will delve into this topic here, so be sure to read this article!
What is sustainability in healthcare?
Sustainable healthcare means meeting the needs of the patient with minimum to none effect on the environment. It is crucial since factors like air pollution or lack of drinkable water can affect our health significantly. Thus, sustainability is not only a means to save our planet, but also to reduce the number of people who require professional medical aid.
Due to the gravity of threats posed by low air quality, water contamination or even higher cosmic radiation, sustainability is the future of healthcare. It is a way to battle many common problems that the industry faces, such as lack of hospital beds or staff shortage. Only through improving the condition of the whole planet is it possible to lower the number of potential patients and thus solve the aforementioned issues.
How to make healthcare more sustainable?
If there were one golden means, every medical facility and company would use it. However, there is no straightforward answer to how to make healthcare more sustainable. Yet, there are ways to reduce the impact of the whole industry on the environment, so let’s look at the most crucial ones.
Transportation
Healthcare is often connected with cold chain logistics. After all, vaccines, medicines and genetic materials must be transported in proper, low temperatures. Thus, the first step that should be taken in terms of sustainable healthcare is to reduce the impact on the environment of the whole logistics chain. It can be done through various means:
- Using sustainable, low energy-consuming and light containers
- Introducing hydrogen or electric trucks
- Switching to more sustainable means of transport such as trains, if possible
Improving prevention
The best way to make something more sustainable is to use it less. Therefore, while prevention might seem beneficial only for improving patient care, it is also a route to a better environment. If patients do not fall ill, they do not require medicine, or medical equipment to be used. This reduces the demand for EMS, drug or equipment transport, leading to a lower carbon footprint.
Switching to more environmental-friendly materials
While it is impossible to completely stop using plastic, especially in an industry which needs sterile equipment, in some cases there is an option to start using more environmentally-friendly materials, such as paper. Optimizing packaging and introducing reusable materials as often as possible is the key to improving the state of earth, no matter the industry.
The takeaway
Sustainable healthcare is critical to overcome the current problems in the medical industry, and to make the lives of our grandchildren better. It can be done through reducing the carbon footprint in cold chain logistics, increasing prevention and using sustainable materials. The better environment we live in, the fewer people fall ill due to pollutants – it is a challenge worth tackling.
Read also: What is Managed Care in Healthcare?
