Why you should read this article:
To enhance your understanding of your role in mitigating the environmental costs of providing care
To reflect on how you could lead quality improvement projects aimed at making care more sustainable
To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)
To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)
Climate change poses a significant threat to human health, with wide-reaching implications for healthcare systems, which are themselves large producers of carbon emissions. Nurses and midwives are well placed to lead the transformation towards more sustainable care. By rethinking care pathways, embracing prevention, empowering patients and minimising waste, they can contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change while enhancing patient outcomes and reducing costs. This article explores how nurses and midwives can integrate sustainability into clinical practice. It describes the SusQI (sustainable quality improvement) framework developed by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to support healthcare professionals to think about the ‘sustainable value’ of care. It gives examples of how teams across the UK have used SusQI, demonstrating that sustainable care is not only possible but often more cost-efficient and person-centred.
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