How to approach sustainability in general practice: a workshop experience with a qualitative analysis amongst general practitioners in Denmark

Abstract

Introduction:

Healthcare systems are experiencing complex interconnected problems, such as rising health inequalities, climate change threats to human and planetary health, environmental and patient harm through defensive medical care, overdiagnosis, overuse, and overtreatment, population ageing, higher prevalence of multimorbidity, and professional shortage and burnout. This calls for sustainable solutions in healthcare. This article presents bottom-up suggestions from general practitioners (GPs) for sustainable solutions at the clinical level and identifies areas for support at the structural level framed within the concept of environmental, social and governance principles.

Methods:

At the annual meeting of the Danish College of General Practitioners, 55 GPs attended a workshop focussing on sustainability in general practice. The GPs were asked to actively contribute with their reflections on possible solutions to developing a more sustainable approach to the healthcare provided in general practice. Written responses were collected, analysed and categorised through an inductive analysis approach.

Results:

The workshop resulted in 101 ideas on how to foster sustainable change and identified areas of support. Half of the ideas (n = 51) were sustainable solutions at the clinical level, whereas the other half (n = 50) concerned suggestions at the structural level.

Conclusions:

The attendees articulated many suggestions for making Danish general practice more sustainable, both at the clinical level and at the structural level. Further research is needed to explore the potential of the presented ideas and gain higher cultural acceptance of prioritising sustainability in general practice.