Planetary Health and Hospitals’ Contribution—A Scoping Review

Lara Schmidt () and Sabine Bohnet-Joschko
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Lara Schmidt: Chair of Management and Innovation in Health Care, Faculty of Management, Economics, and Society, Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany
Sabine Bohnet-Joschko: Chair of Management and Innovation in Health Care, Faculty of Management, Economics, and Society, Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: Climate change is one of the greatest global threats for planetary and human health. This leads to new challenges for public health. Hospitals emit large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG) in their healthcare delivery through transportation, waste and other resources and are considered as key players in reducing healthcare’s environmental footprint. The aim of this scoping review is to provide the state of research on hospitals’ carbon footprint and to determine their contribution to mitigating emissions. We conducted a systematic literature search in three databases for studies related to measurement and actions to reduce GHG emissions in hospitals. We identified 21 studies, the oldest being published in 2012, and the most recent study in 2021. Eight studies focused on GHG emissions hospital-wide, while thirteen studies addressed hospital-based departments. Climate actions in the areas of waste and transportation lead to significant reductions in GHG emissions. Digital transformation is a key factor in implementing climate actions and promoting equity in healthcare. The increasing number of studies published over time indicates the importance of the topic. The results suggest a need for standardization of measurement and performance indicators on climate actions to mitigate GHG emissions.

Keywords: climate change; public health; health impacts assessment; carbon footprint; greenhouse gas emissions; hospital; digital transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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