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Published on: February 16, 2011
The virtues of limits and environmental sustainability in healthcare
1Plunkett Centre for Ethics, Australian Catholic University, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
The spectre of human-induced climate change has drawn attention to the need to discover new, environmentally sustainable approaches to healthcare. This article draws upon David McPherson's The Virtues of Limits (2021) to develop a virtue ethics for sustainability in healthcare. I explore how a virtuous appreciation of the value of healthcare resources can lead us to exercise stewardship in our use of those resources, whereas a failure to appreciate the value of resources can lead to irresponsible and unsustainable patterns of use. I close with some recommendations of how health systems might go about facilitating the cultivation of the virtues of sustainable health practice.
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