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) |