Identifying Environmental Impact Factors for Sustainable Healthcare: A Scoping Review

Marieke Sijm-Eeken (), Monique Jaspers and Linda Peute
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Marieke Sijm-Eeken: Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Monique Jaspers: Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Linda Peute: Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 18, 1-16

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: environmental pressures; measurement; quality management; climate; emissions; planetary health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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