Environmental Life Cycle Assessment in Medical Practice: A User's Guide
Sean McGinnis1, Camron Johnson-Privitera2, Jaclyn D Nunziato3
1Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Director, VT Green Engineering Program, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Blacksburg, VA.
Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey
|July 29, 2021
Summary
Life cycle assessment (LCA) quantifies environmental impacts of medical products and processes. This methodology aids healthcare professionals in making data-driven decisions to minimize ecological damage and improve sustainability in medicine.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Health Policy
- Industrial Ecology
Background:
- Growing environmental concerns necessitate evaluating the ecological footprint of global societies.
- Medical practices contribute to environmental damage, impacting public health.
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a standardized method for quantifying environmental impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce LCA concepts, terminology, and methodology within the medical industry.
- Provide practical guidance and best practices for conducting LCA studies.
- Illustrate LCA application with examples from medical products and processes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on LCA and carbon footprints in medicine.
- Modeling hypothetical medical products using LCA software.
- Analysis of LCA capabilities and limitations in healthcare.
Main Results:
- LCA effectively compares the environmental impacts of functionally equivalent medical products.
- Identified the scale of environmental damage across different life cycle phases.
- Provided resources for utilizing LCA tools in medical contexts.
Conclusions:
- LCA provides quantifiable environmental metrics for medical decision-making.
- Enables minimization of environmental impacts from medical products, processes, and systems.
- LCA, including carbon footprinting, is poised for increased adoption in medical practice.
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