Carbon-constrained health care enterprise

Author: Gell, Michael

Source: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, Volume 16, Number 1, February 2010 , pp. 220-227(8)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $48.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

Rationale

The health economy is a significant part of a national economy accounting typically for about 8% of GDP spent. As national economies respond to the dual challenges of severe economic turbulence on the global scale and climate change mitigation, the health economy is coming under increasing pressure to respond. Indications for sharp reductions in budgets and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are widespread. Aims

In this paper an analysis is undertaken of the diverse forces acting on a typical health care enterprise. The forces, both economic and carbon related, are investigated in terms of their effects through the enterprise and across its boundaries on the supply, demand and waste sides. The overall aim is to show how the enterprise and whole supply chains may flip synchronously into a low-carbon evolutionary pathway. Objectives

By illustrating how different elements of the health care enterprise may respond to these developments, diverse opportunities for cost reduction, carbon reduction and product (goods and services) development are identified. These opportunities involve a variety of waste reduction and energy and materials conservation measures as well as new ways of collaborating with other enterprises going through similar transformations. The overall objective is to show that the carbon-constrained health care enterprise and the low-carbon health economy in which it sits may broaden its role in the coming decades to include a degree of responsibility for the health of the environment. This broader role is likely to supplement and entangle with the traditional role of the health economy, currently focused narrowly on human health, and lead to extensive organisational transformation, and infrastructure and product developments.

Keywords: carbon; climate change; economy; enterprise; environment; health care

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2009.01356.x

Publication date: 2010-02-01

Carbon-constrained health care enterprise

Buy & download fulltext article:

Tools

Key

Text size:

Useful pages