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. 2023 Sep 12;20(18):6747.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20186747.

Identifying Environmental Impact Factors for Sustainable Healthcare: A Scoping Review

Marieke Sijm-Eeken  1   2 , Monique Jaspers  1   3 , Linda Peute  1   3
Affiliations

Identifying Environmental Impact Factors for Sustainable Healthcare: A Scoping Review

Marieke Sijm-Eeken et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The healthcare industry has a substantial impact on the environment through its use of resources, waste generation and pollution. To manage and reduce its impact, it is essential to measure the pressures of healthcare activities on the environment. However, research on factors that can support these measurement activities is unbalanced and scattered. In order to address this issue, a scoping review was conducted with the aims of (i) identifying and organizing factors that have been used to measure environmental impact in healthcare practice and (ii) analyzing the overview of impact factors in order to identify research gaps. The review identified 46 eligible articles publishing 360 impact factors from original research in PubMed and EBSCO databases. These factors related to a variety of healthcare settings, including mental healthcare, renal service, primary healthcare, hospitals and national healthcare. Environmental impacts of healthcare were characterized by a variety of factors based on three key dimensions: the healthcare setting involved, the measurement component or scope, and the type of environmental pressure. The Healthcare Environmental Impact Factor (HEIF) scheme resulting from this study can be used as a tool for selecting measurable indicators to be applied in quality management and as a starting point for further research. Future studies could focus on standardizing impact factors to allow for cross-organization comparisons and on expanding the HEIF scheme by addressing gaps.

Keywords: climate; emissions; environmental pressures; measurement; planetary health; quality management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographical distribution of articles (country names with number of articles).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pressure-state diagram with healthcare activities, settings and number of impact factors identified in this study (total of 360 unique factors).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Healthcare Environmental Impact Factor Scheme (HEIF-Scheme)—environmental impact factors per impact category, grouped by measurement units. The five combined factors are not included in this scheme, which is why the total adds up to 355 rather than 360. Connecting arrows illustrate “consists of” relationships between elements of the scheme.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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