Nitrous oxide (N2O) is commonly used in some parts of the world for inhalation induction of anaesthesia, labour analgesia, and as an anaesthetic adjuvant. In recent years, there has been a reappraisal of anaesthetic N2O use, partly because of awareness of its environmental impact, coupled [...]
Health care itself contributes to climate change. Anesthesia is a “carbon hotspot,” yet few data exist to compare anesthetic choices. The authors examined the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, and combined (general and spinal anesthesia) during a total knee replacement.
We are in a health emergency precipitated by climate change. As well as physical health threats, climate change and its effects are adversely affecting Australians’ mental health, and worsening the health inequities suffered by vulnerable populations. In response, the Australian health care community must both adapt [...]
The rise and rise of overdiagnosis—and its corollaries, over-testing and overtreatment—has unfolded synchronously with the health emergency caused by climate change. Climate change will drive ever more people to seek medical care for exposure to extreme heat, drought, floods, fire and extreme weather, vector borne [...]
Clinical practice varies—some is excellent, delivering high quality care, improving health outcomes, and representing excellent value for money. But research over the past two decades has established that a significant minority of clinical care is low value, wasteful, or harmful. At the extreme end of [...]
Australian public hospitals’ energy choices are at odds with “first, do no harm.” The health care sector faces many of the consequences of climate change but is lagging behind in tackling its own contribution to this health threat. Increases in extreme weather are contributing to adverse physical, [...]
The Climate and Health Alliance, made up of Australian health and medical groups, has sent a letter to the prime minister calling for scaled up climate action to avoid escalating health threats.
Climate change requires collective action across many government, non‐government and private sectors. The development of a shared terminology to conduct, share and use research will be critical to the effective communication and collaboration needed to achieve this collective action. At the same time, climate change mitigation and [...]
The glossary aims to support collaborations on health and climate change by facilitating communication in building cross-sectoral partnerships with research end-users and translating research outcomes into policies and practices in the Australian context.
This project set out to estimate the carbon footprint of five common hospital pathology tests: full blood examination; urea and electrolyte levels; coagulation profile; C-reactive protein concentration; and arterial blood gases. Although the carbon footprints were small, millions of tests are performed each year in [...]