Environmental Sustainability in the Healthcare Sector: An Overview of Research

ABSTRACT

In the Spring of 2020, the world was dealt a difficult blow with the pandemic of the novel Coronavirus. One of the most striking issues facing healthcare providers and hospitals was the lack of medical supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The increased use of PPE during the pandemic highlights the problem with the volume of medical waste and its impact on the environment. Approximately 5 million tons of total waste is produced by hospitals around the world per year (Practice Greenhealth, 2020). A study conducted by Health Care Without Harm, found that "healthcare's climate footprint is equivalent to 4.4% of global net emissions (Karliner, Slotterback, Ashby, and Steele, 2019, p. 60)." Research regarding environmental sustainability of the healthcare sector is broad, complex, and disjointed. Therefore, the research is less helpful to hospital administrators. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the research, demonstrate the significance of the issue, and to provide a context for discussing more helpful information.