Implementation strategies for reducing carbon emissions in acute care: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Healthcare Management
• Sustainability Science

Background:

• Healthcare sectors significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Decarbonizing healthcare is crucial for system sustainability and climate change mitigation.
• Limited understanding exists on effective implementation strategies for healthcare emission reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize evidence on implementation strategies for reducing carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in acute care settings.
• To identify and categorize interventions and strategies aimed at healthcare decarbonization.
• To provide a comprehensive overview supporting climate change mitigation in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review following JBI methodology.
• Searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and CINAHL for relevant peer-reviewed articles.
• Utilized ERIC taxonomy and behavior change technique taxonomy for data synthesis.

Main Results:

• An inventory of intervention types and implementation strategies for reducing CO2e emissions in acute care settings will be created.
• The review synthesizes evidence on how emission reduction interventions are implemented.
• Categorization of strategies will aid in understanding and applying effective implementation approaches.

Conclusions:

• This review offers a comprehensive overview of strategies for reducing CO2e emissions in acute care.
• Findings will contribute to decarbonizing healthcare systems and supporting climate change mitigation.
• Identified strategies can guide future implementation efforts in sustainable healthcare practices.