[Motives, goals and anticipated barriers as experienced by employees engaged in an initiative promoting sustainability at a general hospital - A qualitative analysis]

Abstract

Background: As a consequence of the climate crisis, a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a transformation towards a sustainable economy are indispensable for the health care sector.

Methods: For the present study, barriers and facilitators in implementing a transformation towards more sustainability were evaluated in qualitative interviews with members of an initiative attempting to establish more sustainability at a general hospital.

Results: In 12 interviews, the interviewees were asked about the necessary personal characteristics for their commitment, short- and long-term ideas about how to reduce green house gas emissions, as well as barriers and facilitators of the organization's structure and of the societal context.

Conclusion: The methods for implementing more sustainability at a general hospital are mostly known. However, more knowledge is needed about the capacity to withstand both organizational barriers and feelings of hopelessness and impotence in order to preserve one's ability to act.

Keywords: Greenhouse gas reduction; Health services research; Nachhaltigkeit; Planetare Gesundheit; Planetary health; Sustainability; Transformation research; Transformationsforschung; Treibhausgasreduktion; Versorgungsforschung.