Polypharmacy: Institutional approaches to Support Patients, Systems and the Climate

As polypharmacy continues to rise in Canada, its impact on patient care and health care systems becomes more significant. This article explores the consequences of polypharmacy, including increased patient risks, environmental footprint, financial strain and added workload for staff. It also highlights effective strategies for mitigating polypharmacy, such as deprescribing, non-pharmacological interventions, medication stewardship programs … Read more

This narrative review discusses 19 initiatives that can be implemented into primary care practices to reduce GHG emissions and financial costs.

New framework guides climate-resilient acute care in Canada, with Alberta’s experience as a case study to support adaptation and continuous learning.

Addressing underuse in health care is key to sustainability—early, high-value care can cut carbon emissions and improve outcomes for patients and the planet.

This study depicts the estimated journey of a clonazepam pill’s production and distribution, with the prescription being filled in Vancouver, BC.

Primary care plays an integral role in the creation of a low-carbon health system, and the environmental consequences involved in medications is a prime example.

Where would you like to be when you die? Seven out of eight people in Canada would choose to pass away at home where they and their loved ones would be more comfortable. And yet 56 per cent of people in Canada actually die in hospitals. If dying at home could be made more feasible and well resourced, … Read more

This paper explores how dentists can mitigate environmental impact through advocacy and actions, both professionally and personally. Read Article Here

Canada faces a “polycrisis” of interconnected economic, environmental, and social challenges. Addressing these requires coordinated policies that consider overlapping risks. Read Article Here

The article highlights the numerous health and environmental benefits of planting trees in urban areas. Trees help improve air quality, reduce heat island effects, and provide mental health benefits by creating greener, more serene environments. Read Article Here

This article investigates emissions related to health care in a patient’s last year of life. End of life is a period when health care use and associated emissions production increases exponentially. Read Article Here

Clinicians can implement updated recommendations on dose and frequency of iron supplementation that can have benefits for patients and help mitigate environmental harms from health care practices. Read Article Here

Healthcare contributes significantly to global warming and accounts for 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the end-of-life (EOL) period is characterized by disproportionately high hospital use, which is both emissions-intensive and often contrary to patients’ wishes to receive EOL care at home. In Canada, end-of-life hospitalization accounts for almost 6 million hospital days and … Read more

Physicians are encouraged to actively consider the environmental impact of medical interventions. Chief among these considerations is the environmental burden of medication development, production, and disposition. Addressing the environmental consequences of medication prescribing is a critical part of mitigating carbon emissions in healthcare. This matter is often neglected, when compared to the problem of disposition … Read more

Healthcare governing boards, executives, medical staff, health professionals, and allied staff members should all play a role in devising, promoting, and implementing solutions for climate change mitigation, which must extend beyond the boundaries of their own workplaces and healthcare institutions. Such actions can potentially influence not only healthcare professionals and their patients but also healthcare … Read more

This review discusses the development of a knowledge translation tool that aims to compare a range of interventions that can be applied in hospital settings to reduce the local GHG emissions and associated financial costs. Read Article Here