The healthcare industry has a huge environmental impact. If the globe is to push back against the coming climate apocalypse, then the healthcare industry must play its part. There are many ways in which the industry is already taking proactive steps towards environmental responsibility. Here is a quick guide to the ways in which the healthcare industry is improving environmental performance.
Cutting Down On Dental And Surgical Plastics
Surgery and dentistry are incredibly plastic hungry. Many of the single use implements are made of plastic – which is cheap and tough. A return to multi use metal implements that can be sterilized must occur. Responsible companies have already begun reducing single plastics in the dental industry. It will, however, take industry wide initiatives to make a major difference to the plastic footprint of dentistry and surgery.
Greener Buildings
Greener buildings hold the key to improved environmental performance. Heating, cooling, lighting and powering medical buildings is incredibly environmentally damaging. The creation of well insulated buildings that produce their own renewable energy is an essential step. The inclusion of dental offices and other specialized surgeries inside the same insulated complex as a main hospital is also potentially energy saving.
Cutting Transport Emissions
Cutting transport emissions is one way of significantly cutting down on the carbon footprint of an institution. Hospitals, in particular, have large vehicular carbon emission loads. The emergence of practical and fast electric vehicles has led to the development of the first electric ambulances. While these ambulances would be unsuitable for the countryside, they would be perfect for the city. Electric motors have the advantage over combustion engines in terms of torque production. This means that electric ambulances could potentially zip around the city quicker than a diesel ambulance while producing none of the emissions.
Rethinking Medical Waste
Medical waste is typically incinerated: an incredibly environmentally damaging procedure. If not incinerated, it is sent to landfill, where it is one of the most dangerous kinds of waste that can be unearthed. Studies cited by the British Medical Journal, however, have found that a large portion of medical waste is harmless enough to be safely recycled. Actually recycling certain kinds of medical waste could have a huge impact on the overall environmental footprint of an institution. In an effort to provide greener healthcare, some hospitals are implementing recycling policies that determine which medical waste is saved from the incinerator.
Telehealth
Embracing telehealth is one of the ways in which medical institutions can drastically cut down on the amount of carbon emissions caused by their day to day operations. During the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare institutions were forced to replace a great deal of their face to face appointments with telehealth appointments. This led to the development of more user friendly telehealth software, making it even more realistic for this to be a permanent shift. The emergence of video conferencing has changed the game in telehealth. Patients can now be ‘face to face’ with their doctor or nurse from many miles away.
