Combating climate change in the clinic: Cost-effective strategies to decrease the carbon footprint of outpatient dermatologic practice

Abstract

There have been numerous studies highlighting the negative impact that climate change has already had and is expected to continue to have on patients and their health. Notably, the health care industry has been identified as a major contributor to the global carbon footprint, highlighting a major opportunity for practitioners to intervene. However, the large majority of the literature on strategies to reduce health care’s contribution to climate change focuses solely on the inpatient setting. We review a variety of strategies for clinicians in the outpatient setting to adjust their practices to combat climate change. Summarizing the best evidence from other industries and translating recommendations from the literature on inpatient practice, we identify a wide range of opportunities for intervention, many of which are easy to implement and cost-effective. These general strategies to reduce both the carbon footprint and monthly operating costs of an outpatient clinic should be of interest to any practicing physician, both dermatologists and nondermatologists.