One physician at Centre de santé Saint-Boniface is trying to make a difference in the impact her practice has on the environment, and she’s sharing her knowledge with other doctors as she goes. “In primary care, we’re always focused on our patients first and foremost,” shares Dr. Isabelle Paquin. “But we don’t necessarily pause to consider the impact our choices might have on the environment.”
As she contemplated how to better understand her impact, and most importantly, how to mitigate it, she started to do some research. “Are there any stats or information that can help me make better choices?” Dr. Paquin wondered. “We are so busy in a clinic environment, just like every other sector these days. So I knew I needed my choices to be evidence-based and that if I was going to share my findings, it had to be quick and easy because we’re short on time.”
Her research quickly turned up some easy wins. First up: exam table paper rolls. “It’s become habit for all of us to use those paper rolls, but there actually wasn’t much evidence that they mitigate infections,” shares Paquin. “Once you get over the habit and explain to a few patients your evidence-based reasoning, it’s a very easy change to make that has an impact right away in the amount of waste we create.”
Secondly, sterile gloves had become the norm for many practitioners, and Paquin wondered if they were always necessary as they come wrapped in several layers of material to ensure sterility. “Again, gloves remain important but there was no evidence to prove that for minor procedures, sterile gloves made any difference in infection rates,” continues Paquin. “It’s a bit of a shift for us all to make, especially after COVID, where we became so used to extra precautions.”
Dr. Paquin is sharing her findings once or twice a month with her colleagues during their morning huddle. “I explain that this is a personal choice, I share the evidence, and state that I’m here for questions if anyone has any,” she mentions. “It doesn’t take more than a minute or two. It’s well received because as health care practitioners, we know that protocols and treatments can change anytime, and they do. We are always adapting.”
Another massive contributor to medical pollution in Canada: the little blue inhalers that many people receive for lung and breathing issues. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, a single puffer can have the same environmental impact as a 170-kilometre car trip!
“These inhalers are an important treatment option for patients, but we can all play a role in making choices that are better for the environment,” says Dr. Paquin. “There are some easy questions you can discuss with your care team: do I need this inhaler? Do I use it properly? Are there other options for me? Am I disposing of it properly at the pharmacy when I’m done with it?”
Centre de santé Saint-Boniface is also considering their environmental impact by exploring and implementing recycling, composting and other green initiatives. “We can’t recycle everything in medical clinics, of course, but we can make a difference together,” concludes Dr. Paquin.