Advancing Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare: Review on Perspectives from Health Institutions

Abstract

Hospitals play a key role in promoting sustainable and healthy living. Few studies have taken this perspective into account. Therefore, we explored the role of hospital institutions in the development and implementation of sustainability strategies linked to the provision of health services. Applying the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of the PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases and the references of the resulting articles in Mendeley Desktop v1.19.8. Articles peer-reviewed between 2016 and 2023 were eligible if they analyzed sustainable healthcare, activities derived from services provided and professional involvement. From the 27 articles that constituted the final sample, two themes were identified: (a) environmental sustainability in healthcare and (b) involvement of healthcare professionals in environmental sustainability. Proposals for sustainable actions to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare related to the use of natural resources, sustainable food, sustainable transport and waste management were reviewed. The role of healthcare workers, their attitudes and perceptions of sustainability and global health improvement were investigated. Reducing health pollution involves addressing excessive or inappropriate consumption of resources and minimizing the environmental footprint of healthcare activities. The different contexts reveal the heterogeneity of the sustainability interventions existing in the healthcare industry, both in terms of subject matter and in terms of the number of publications from each country.