A climate resilience maturity matrix for Canadian health systems

Thomson, Denise; Varangu, Linda; Webster, Richard

doi:10.1177/08404704231169037

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…A successful climate change resilient healthcare service will undoubtedly demand an increase in collecting health facility and community-level data where the healthcare facility is located for routine reports. 21 This is often monitored by other institutions and the indicators are not connected to the health system directly. Data collection should be driven by robust, integrated health information and data management of environmental challenges to allow a rapid response.…”

Section: Adapting To the Challenge Of Climate Change To Primary Healt...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a climate-resilient primary health care service

Lokotola

2023

South African Family Practice

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Climate change has been declared as the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century. Not all family doctors are aware of the threats and how to tackle them. There are three key aspects to consider: the health and social effects of climate change, the challenge of climate change to primary health care (PHC) facilities and services, and the contribution of health services to the problem of climate change. Climate change and global pollution are ecological drivers associated with significant health and social effects that are often seen in PHC services. These ecological drivers impact health and society via a number of proximate causes, such as air pollution and decreased food production. The health and social effects include malnutrition, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, displacement and migration, and mental health problems. Climate change-induced extreme weather events are associated with immediate loss of life and injuries, destruction of homes and livelihoods, and disruption of PHC facilities and services. For adapting to these challenges, the World Health Organization has developed an operational framework for a climate-resilient health system. The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals agenda provides practical guidance for mitigating the contribution of health services to climate change. This article uses these frameworks to suggest practical steps that family doctors can take in leading climate adaptation and mitigation within PHC.

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Section: Adapting To the Challenge Of Climate Change To Primary Healt...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a climate-resilient primary health care service

Lokotola

2023

South African Family Practice

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Strategies and tactics to reduce the impact of healthcare on climate change: systematic review

Braithwaite,

Smith,

Leask

et al. 2024

BMJ

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Objective To review the international literature and assess the ways healthcare systems are mitigating and can mitigate their carbon footprint, which is currently estimated to be more than 4.4% of global emissions. Design Systematic review of empirical studies and grey literature to examine how healthcare services and institutions are limiting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Data sources Eight databases and authoritative reports were searched from inception dates to November 2023. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Teams of investigators screened relevant publications against the inclusion criteria (eg, in English; discussed impact of healthcare systems on climate change), applying four quality appraisal tools, and results are reported in accordance with PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses). Results Of 33 737 publications identified, 32 998 (97.8%) were excluded after title and abstract screening; 536 (72.5%) of the remaining publications were excluded after full text review. Two additional papers were identified, screened, and included through backward citation tracking. The 205 included studies applied empirical (n=88, 42.9%), review (n=60, 29.3%), narrative descriptive (n=53, 25.9%), and multiple (n=4, 2.0%) methods. More than half of the publications (51.5%) addressed the macro level of the healthcare system. Nine themes were identified using inductive analysis: changing clinical and surgical practices (n=107); enacting policies and governance (n=97); managing physical waste (n=83); changing organisational behaviour (n=76); actions of individuals and groups (eg, advocacy, community involvement; n=74); minimising travel and transportation (n=70); using tools for measuring GHG emissions (n=70); reducing emissions related to infrastructure (n=63); and decarbonising the supply chain (n=48). Conclusions Publications presented various strategies and tactics to reduce GHG emissions. These included changing clinical and surgical practices; using policies such as benchmarking and reporting at a facility level, and financial levers to reduce emissions from procurement; reducing physical waste; changing organisational culture through workforce training; supporting education on the benefits of decarbonisation; and involving patients in care planning. Numerous tools and frameworks were presented for measuring GHG emissions, but implementation and evaluation of the sustainability of initiatives were largely missing. At the macro level, decarbonisation approaches focused on energy grid emissions, infrastructure efficiency, and reducing supply chain emissions, including those from agriculture and supply of food products. Decarbonisation mechanisms at the micro and meso system levels ranged from reducing low value care, to choosing lower GHG options (eg, anaesthetic gases, rescue inhalers), to reducing travel. Based on these strategies and tactics, this study provides a framework to support the decarbonisation of healthcare systems. Systematic review registration PROSPERO: CRD42022383719.

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Taking action towards climate-resilient, low-carbon, health systems: Perspectives from Canadian health leaders and healthcare professionals

Barber,

Rainham,

Tyedmers

et al. 2024

Healthc Manage Forum

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Climate change poses significant public health and health system challenges including increased demand for health services due to chronic and acute health impacts from vector-borne diseases, heat-related illness, and injury from severe weather. As climate change worsens, so do its effects on health systems such as increasing severity of weather extremes causing damage to healthcare infrastructure and interference with supply chains. Ironically, health sectors globally are significant contributors to climate change, generating an estimated 5% of global emissions. Achieving “net zero” health systems require large-scale change with shared decision-making to coordinate a pan-Canadian approach to creating climate-resilient and low-carbon healthcare. In this article, we discuss healthcare professionals’ and health leaders’ perceptions of responsibility for practicing and advocating for climate-resilient and low-carbon healthcare in Canada.

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A climate resilience maturity matrix for Canadian health systems

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

Towards a climate-resilient primary health care service

Towards a climate-resilient primary health care service

Strategies and tactics to reduce the impact of healthcare on climate change: systematic review

Taking action towards climate-resilient, low-carbon, health systems: Perspectives from Canadian health leaders and healthcare professionals

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