References
Emergency medical services (EMS) and waste: a review of the literature on sustainable EMS waste management
Abstract
Waste management contributes significantly to the financial costs and carbon footprints of healthcare organisations, thus contributing to climate change and subsequent harm to health. Increasing efficiencies and the introduction of sustainable waste management practice within healthcare organisations, including emergency medical services (EMS), could reduce associated CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions while reducing costs, enabling funding to be reinvested in patient care.
This article aims to contribute to the discussion of sustainable healthcare waste management, particularly within EMS, and provides a review of the literature on this topic. The literature suggests there is a growing interest among EMS in the efficient use of resources and there has been some gradual change in practice, including the introduction of sustainable waste management practices. The literature also reveals that empirical research discussing greenhouse gas emissions associated with EMS is limited, particularly in regard to waste management. The evidence indicates that there is scope for further research investigating the environmental impacts of EMS. Such research could specifically investigate the CO2 emissions associated with EMS waste management and interventions that might reduce these emissions, with the potential sequelae of cost savings or income generation.
There is an urgent need to reduce the amount of waste generated by healthcare activities; waste management contributes significantly to the financial costs and carbon footprints of healthcare organisations. Efforts have been made to more effectively manage waste in hospitals. However, despite encouragement and guidance from organisations such as the Green Environmental Ambulance Network (2011), emergency medical services (EMS) have yet to fully address this, providing unique challenges due to the environment within which they deliver care. This article aims to contribute to the discussion of sustainable healthcare waste management, particularly within EMS, arguing that this would aid EMS and other healthcare organisations in making cost savings, reducing carbon footprints and other greenhouse gas emissions.
It has been claimed that ‘climate change presents the biggest single threat to health in the 21st century’ (Costello et al, 2009: 1693). As a result of this, services need to plan for the health consequences of climate change, by employing adaptation and mitigation measures to ensure sustainable health service delivery and business continuity. In the United Kingdom (UK) the Climate Change Act 2008 (c.27) and the UK National Health Service (NHS) Carbon Reduction Strategy: Saving Carbon, Improving Health (NHS Sustainable Development Unit (SDU), 2009a), together with the Department of Health's (DH) Good Corporate Citizenship Initiative (NHS SDU, 2015), provide a framework for developing a more sustainable NHS that might be better able to face the threats posed by climate change. There is, however, a growing body of international evidence that suggests that climate change is causing a rise in global temperatures, leading to a net negative effect on health, through a range of direct and indirect exposures. These include:
Subscribe to get full access to the Journal of Paramedic Practice
Thank you for visiting the Journal of Paramedic Practice and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the only journal dedicated to those working in emergency care, you can start your subscription today for just £48.
What's included
-
CPD Focus
-
Develop your career
-
Stay informed