Greening Infection Prevention and Control: Multifaceted Approaches to a Sustainable Future
Pamela S Lee1, Irene Frantzis2,3, Shira R Abeles4
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Abstract:
Infection prevention and control, or IP&C, is a critical stakeholder in advancing environmental sustainability in health care. IP&C activities seek to ensure safety of processes in health care from an infection perspective, but how these are performed can drive substantial waste and pollution. There are certain IP&C measures that can, without compromising safety or efficiency, be adapted to more environmentally friendly practices and have a high impact benefit to sustainability without affecting patient outcomes. Moreover, IP&C practice stands to be significantly altered by climate change and pollution. Here, we describe the complex interdependence between sustainability, climate change, and IP&C, and opportunities for IP&C to be at the leading edge of optimizing healthcare's environmental footprint.
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