Integrating planetary health into healthcare: A document analysis

• Published in: Health policy (Amsterdam) 2021-06, Vol.125 (6), p.799-806
• Main Authors: Kalogirou, Maya R., Dahlke, Sherry, Davidson, Sandra, Yamamoto, Shelby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Climate change; Conservation; Greenhouse gases; Health care; Health care industry; Health risks; Health services; Healthcare; Humans; Planetary health; Policy analysis; Resource conservation; Resource management; Supply; Waste management; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0168-8510; 1872-6054
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.04.002

•Organizational policies indicate that climate change is not a major priority.•Healthcare organizations promote safety of those accessing services but not global safety.•By changing policy, healthcare organizations can reduce their climate impact. Anthropogenic climate change poses a major health risk to humankind. The healthcare sector both contributes to climate change and is vulnerable to its impacts. Healthcare's greenhouse gas emissions are primarily derived from its supply chain: the production, transport, and disposal of goods. Document analysis was used to investigate the workplace policies of one large, Western Canadian healthcare organization. Policies that indicated how employees should engage with resources were reviewed through the lens of environmentally responsible practice and planetary health. Content and thematic analysis were applied. Four themes were identified: procurement of resources, resource utilization, resource conservation, and waste management. There was little evidence of environmental or climate impact consideration within the organization's policies. Healthcare organizations could benefit from integrating a planetary health perspective into their policies to deliver healthcare that considers the health and safety of both humans and the climate.