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Consensus on Prioritisation of Actions for Reducing the Environmental Impact of a Large Tertiary Hospital: Application of the Nominal Group Technique

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  • Jessica F. Davies

    (Anaesthetics Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia
    Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia)

  • Forbes McGain

    (Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
    Anaesthetic and Intensive Care Departments, Western Health, St Albans, VIC 3021, Australia
    School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • Jillian J. Francis

    (School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
    Department of Health Services Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St., Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
    Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada)

Abstract

Hospitals are the largest greenhouse gas producers within the Australian healthcare sector due to the large amounts of energy, resource utilization, equipment and pharmaceuticals required to deliver care. In order to reduce healthcare emissions, healthcare services must take multiple actions to address the broad range of emissions produced when delivering patient care. The goal of this study was to seek consensus on the priority actions needed to reduce the environmental impact of a tertiary Australian hospital. A nominal group technique was utilized within a multidisciplinary, executive-led environmental sustainability committee to find consensus on the 62 proposed actions to reduce the environmental impact of a tertiary Australian hospital. Thirteen participants joined an online workshop during which an educational presentation was delivered, 62 potential actions were privately ranked according to two domains of ‘amenability to change’ and ‘scale of climate impact’ and a moderated group discussion ensued. The group achieved verbal consensus on 16 actions that span staff education, procurement, pharmaceuticals, waste, transport and advocacy on all-electric capital works upgrades. In addition, the individual ratings of potential actions according to each domain were ranked and shared with the group. Despite a large number of actions and varied perspectives within the group, the nominal group technique can be used to focus a hospital leadership group on priority actions to improve environmental sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica F. Davies & Forbes McGain & Jillian J. Francis, 2023. "Consensus on Prioritisation of Actions for Reducing the Environmental Impact of a Large Tertiary Hospital: Application of the Nominal Group Technique," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:5:p:3978-:d:1078068
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matthew J Eckelman & Jodi D Sherman & Andrea J MacNeill, 2018. "Life cycle environmental emissions and health damages from the Canadian healthcare system: An economic-environmental-epidemiological analysis," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, July.
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