Mapping the Environmental Co-Benefits of Reducing Low-Value Care: A Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Gillian Parker, Sarah Hunter, Karen Born and Fiona A. Miller ()
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Gillian Parker: Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Sarah Hunter: Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Karen Born: Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Fiona A. Miller: Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Reducing low-value care (LVC) and improving healthcare’s climate readiness are critical factors for improving the sustainability of health systems. Care practices that have been deemed low or no-value generate carbon emissions, waste and pollution without improving patient or population health. There is nascent, but growing, research and evaluation to inform practice change focused on the environmental co-benefits of reducing LVC. The objective of this study was to develop foundational knowledge of this field through a scoping review and bibliometric analysis. We searched four databases, Medline, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL, and followed established scoping review and bibliometric analysis methodology to collect and analyze the data. A total of 145 publications met the inclusion criteria and were published between 2013 and July 2023, with over 80% published since 2020. Empirical studies comprised 21%, while commentary or opinions comprised 51% of publications. The majority focused on healthcare generally (27%), laboratory testing (14%), and medications (14%). Empirical publications covered a broad range of environmental issues with general and practice-specific ‘Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions’, ‘waste management’ and ‘resource use’ as most common topics. Reducing practice-specific ‘GHG emissions’ was the most commonly reported environmental outcome. The bibliometric analysis revealed nine international collaboration networks producing work on eight key healthcare areas. The nineteen ‘top’ authors were primarily from the US, Australia and Canada.

Keywords: low-value care; environmental sustainability; healthcare; co-benefits; scoping review; bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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