Eco-Sustainability in Hospital Pharmacy: A Pilot Survey on ‘Going Green’

Abstract

Purpose: Between 2009 and 2015, the Canadian health care system was estimated to be responsible for 4.6% of national carbon emissions. Determine awareness of and describe eco-initiatives that the department of pharmacy can implement to aim to reduce the carbon footprint in hospital pharmacy in an effort to ‘go green’. Methods: In a quality improvement initiative, pharmacy employees (i.e. pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) completed a cross-sectional survey designed to gauge willingness to ‘go green’ at work, to identify actionable areas of waste, and to assess commuting practices. Results: A total of 15 respondents completed the survey conducted March 14th –April 7th, 2022. Most respondents (73%) were willing to engage in more sustainable practices at work. The main barriers to implementing green practices at work were ‘too time consuming’ (20%), ‘adds too much complexity’ (20%), and ‘cost’ (16%). For commuting, 60% indicated the primary mode of transportation as ‘personal vehicle’, where ‘subsidized transit’ and was listed as the greatest incentive that could encourage a greener commute. The three largest areas of waste cited were ‘single use plastic’ (36%), ‘limited of awareness of green practices’ (15%), and ‘lights left on in empty rooms’ (12%). Conclusions: Pharmacy staff shared willingness to engage in more sustainable ‘go green’ practices but raised challenges to do so. With the knowledge that Canada has the second most climate intensive health system, there is a need for future research to describe how hospital pharmacies can contribute strategically to ‘go green’, advancing with implementing low carbon sustainable pharmacy practices.