Table 5 Summary of respondents’ opinions regarding ways to promote resource conservation and pollution prevention within their professional practice and barriers to doing so
Opinion on ways to address resource conservation and pollution prevention Responses shown are % of respondents who” agree” or” strongly agree” with the statement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Medical Students % (N) | Nursing Students % (N) | Physician Assistant Students % (N) | Combined Students % (N) | |
Important ways for physicians/nurses/physician assistants to promote resource conservation and pollution prevention | ||||
Industry transparency about environmental footprint of supplies, procedures and services | 88.8 (142) | 86.8 (46) | 89.1 (41) | 88.4 (229) |
Track medical device and supply utilization, to guide resource conservation performance improvement | 87.5 (140) | 79.3 (42) | 82.6 (38) | 84.9 (220) |
Evidence-based recommendations on minimizing unnecessary procedures and services (e.g., as with the Choosing Wisely Campaign) | 95.0 (152) | 92.5 (49) | 93.5 (43) | 94.2 (244) |
Patient-centered conversations about end-of-life planning and advanced directives to reduce unwanted care | 85.0 (136) | 90.6 (48) | 91.3 (42) | 87.3 (226) |
Resource conservation and pollution prevention are not a physician’s responsibility | 10.0 (16) (Question N = 160) | 16.9 (9) (Question N = 53) | 17.4 (8) | 12.7 (33) (Question N = 259) |
Important barriers that inhibit physicians/nurses/physician assistants from taking responsibility for resource conservation and pollution prevention | ||||
Lack of education on disease burden stemming from health care pollution | 84.2 (133) | 88.7 (47) | 84.8 (39) | 85.2 (219) |
Lack of time/production pressure leading to inefficient utilization of resources | 91.8 (145) | 90.6 (48) | 91.3 (42) | 91.4 (253) |
Unrealistic expectations of infection risk reduction | 35.5 (56) | 52.8 (28) | 39.1 (18) | 39.7 (102) |
Resource conservation and pollution prevention are not a physician’s/nurse’s/physician assistant’s responsibility | 20.3 (32) (Question N = 158) | 18.9 (10) (Question N = 53) | 8.7 (4) (Question N = 46) | 17.9 (46) (Question N = 257) |