Enhancing the Australian healthcare sector’s responsiveness to environmental sustainability issues: suggestions from Australian healthcare professionals

Abstract

By implementing the strategies described, a more cohesive effort to address sustainability issues across the sector can be made. This may improve local and global health, within current and future generations. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Healthcare has a significant impact on the natural and social environments, which in turn have a significant impact upon health and healthcare. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper describes strategies to alter healthcare to better support environmental sustainability. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? Collective implementation of the described strategies may allow a more cohesive and effective response across the Australian healthcare sector, to enhance local and global health for current and future generations.

Healthcare professionals' perspectives on environmental sustainability

“…12,13 This led to discussions of personal and professional perspectives of environmentally responsible behaviour, and the different actions taken in these contexts. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim.…”

Waiter, there is a drug in my soup – using Leximancer® to explore antecedents to pro-environmental behaviours in the hospital pharmacy workplace

“…Two studies of pro‐environmental behaviours in the Australian and UK public health sectors found that employees were aware of the significant impact of healthcare delivery on the social and natural environments, as well as how social and natural environments impact upon health. However, both studies showed little evidence of employee pro‐environmental workplace behaviours with study participants citing organisational factors such as organisational structures, organisational culture and budgetary constraints as being the major barriers. In contrast, participants in this study did not demonstrate awareness of the environmental impacts of health care.…”

“…Lack of adequate infrastructure (e.g. recycling facilities) and environmental information has also been identified as barriers to pro‐environmental workplace behaviours in the public healthcare sector in Australia.…”

Implementing climate change mitigation in health services: the importance of context

“…Interprofessional rivalries serve to complicate the organizational landscape and can cause disparity between practice and professional and personal values. 2,[17][18][19] Researchers have found striking differences in the ways in which managers and clinicians perceive reform efforts in relation to financial restrictions, professional autonomy and work processes. 18,19 It has been posited that health services are currently operating within a dominant paradigm of reactivity.…”

“…2,3,22,23 Policy, financial and regulatory environment Health services operate in a controlled legislative and regulatory environment required for optimal clinical care delivery and outcomes. 17 Key elements of that environment can impede the application of climate mitigation efforts.…”