What are the Revealed and Stated Population Preferences for Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare? A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Objective: Collective changes in healthcare practices are required to ensure real environmental gains. As patient-centred care is increasingly considered to enhance the ability of health systems to meet the expectations of the population, it is crucial for policymakers and health professionals to account for the preferences of the wider public regarding environmentally friendly healthcare. This article synthesises and appraises evidence from empirical studies to understand how people value environmental concerns when making decisions within medical-related or pharmaceutical sectors.

Methods: We conducted electronic searches of the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase literature databases. Studies were eligible if they conducted a quantitative experiment to understand participants' preferences regarding sustainability and green initiatives in the medical sector or for pharmaceuticals.

Results: Of the 1138 documents identified, 32 studies were deemed eligible. More than 60% were published since 2020. Different methods were used to elicit the revealed and/or stated preferences of participants. In most studies, respondents valued the environment positively and were willing to change their behaviour or practices to support sustainability. However, concerns such as disease severity or clinical effectiveness of medicines or medical interventions were often prioritised over environmental considerations. The wide heterogeneity in study participants emphasises the need to involve all stakeholders to achieve the transition to a greener and sustainable healthcare system.

Conclusion: The identified studies used various methods but were consistent in finding broad support for environmental considerations within the healthcare sector.