From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: Medical Environments–Five Green Practices in Healthcare Today
Over the years, the growth in the use of chemicals and disposable products has caused the healthcare industry to generate enormous amounts of waste and toxic emissions. Recently, more and more people are turning their attention to dealing with this waste in an environmentally responsible manner in the interests of sustainability and for cost concerns. Those getting an RN to BSN online degree or who are already involved in nursing are finding that they must be aware of these changes in the medical environment so they can fully participate in this movement and in providing their patients with the highest level of care. Here are a few more things you should know about green medicine today.
Reprocessing
Although recycling may not come to mind as a sustainability solution for the medical environment, it is now being done on a wider basis. Taking single-use items and processing them to be safe for reuse lowers the overall cost to hospitals and other institutions and prevents the accumulation of large amounts of medical waste. This measure is being adopted more widely as an effective “green” measure for the healthcare industry.
Healthier Indoor Materials
Choosing furniture and decorative materials that do not emit volatile organic compounds can be a helpful measure for patients in waiting areas, cafeterias, and hospital rooms. VOCs can produce a wide range of troublesome symptoms that can complicate medical conditions and make employees sick. Using less polluting components can ensure that indoor air is cleaner and free of toxic compounds.
Safer Cleaning Products
Cleaning is an important consideration in medical environments to prevent the spread of disease. However, the use of certain chemicals can cause respiratory and other reactions that are harmful to patients. Using “green” compounds that do not irritate respiratory tracts or cause other effects can help to produce a healthier healing environment for patients.
Encouraging Lower Meat Consumption
Livestock production uses one-third of the world’s fresh water and uses about 30 percent of the planet’s ice-free land surface. Meat is an expensive way to provide protein for human diets, and the medical field can help lead the way to re-educating the population on sustainable eating. Hospitals can offer protein alternatives to patients and physicians can teach patients the heart-healthy benefits of a plant-based diet.
Paper Recycling
Medical institutions generation thousands of pounds of paper waste each year. Even though HIPAA restrictions require careful handling of patient records, recycling completely destroys all data on paper records and is being done more and more in records offices.
These measures can make a significant difference in the sustainability of the healthcare environment, to both improve patient care and to lower costs. In the future, these changes are likely to be seen in all medical environments, helping to preserve the planet for future generations.
