Sustainability and OH Flashcards
Why is global sustainability important to healthcare (6)
- Material Inequality: wealthy getting richer, poor staying poor
- Population and Consumption: world population is growing, more people mean more need for space, energy, food and water
- Resource Depletion: oil and gas almost depleted, water becoming scarce
- Climate Change: world getting warmer due to humans, greenhouse effect impacting food production and incidence of infectious disease
- Loss of Biodiversity: increased rate of animal extinction due to depletion of areas of habitat
- Crisis in Healthcare: increasing ageing population, increased chronic diseases
Actions which could help global warming (6)
- Increase use of renewable energy sources
- modify human behaviour, be more active
- move back to more plant-based diet
- educate on carbon literacy and numeracy
- promote patient resilience
- teach healthcare students that we are part of a wider ecological system
How can the NHS be more sustainable (9)
- Prioritise environmental health
- Substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives
- Reduce and safely dispose of waste
- Safely manage and dispose of pharmaceuticals
- Use energy efficiently and switch to renewable energy
- Reduce water consumption
- Improve travel strategies
- Purchase and serve sustainably grown food
- Adopt greener building design and construction - purchase more sustainable and safer products
What will low carbon clinical care look like in the NHS (4)
- Be better at preventing conditions
- tackle underlying causes of disease
- increase access to contraception
- access to clean water
- education on hygiene - Give greater responsibility to patients in managing their health
- information prescriptions instead of medication prescriptions - Be leaner in service design and delivery
- combine clinics for diabetes, CVD and stroke
- eliminate duplication and unnecessary investigations - Use the lowest carbon technologies
- include sustainability measures in evaluation of medical technology
Difference between resilience and sustainability
Resilience - the ability to quickly return to a previous good condition
Sustainability - the ability to be able to continue over a period of time
What information should be obtained in an occupational history (9)
- A description of the present and previous jobs from leaving school
- Identifying exposure to chemicals and other hazards (may need label as confirmation)
- Did symptoms improve when not exposed (i.e. weekend, holiday)
- Determine duration and intensity of exposure
- Is PPE used
- What maintenance is in place for protection measures
- Do others suffer similar symptoms
- Are there known environmental hazards in use
- Any hobbies, pets, worked overseas, moonlighting
What is the Fit note for (5)
- Facilitates earlier discussion about return to work and rehabilitation
- Includes items of consideration for employers when signing a patients return to work
- Can only be completed by a doctor
- Is advice to patients as employees, is not binding on the employer and does not affect statutory sick pay
- Required if a patient has been off sick for more than 7 consecutive days (including non-working days)
What are occupational health services for (9)
- Prevent work-related ill health
- Advise on fitness for work
- Recommend appropriate workplace adjustments to help people stay in work
- Recommend and implement policies to maintain safe and healthy workplace
- Improve attendance and performance in work
- Provide rehab to help people return to work
- Give advice on alternative suitable work for people with health problems
- Conduct research into work-related health issues
- Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations
- Advise on medical health and ill-health retirement
Effect of unemployment on health (4)
- Higher mortality
- Poorer general health, longstanding illness
- Poorer mental health, psychological distress, lower self-esteem
- Higher medical consultation, medication consumption and hospital admission rates
Effect of employment of health (4)
- Required for obtaining adequate income for material well-being and participation in society
- Important psychological need as work is norm is society
- Work is central to individual identity, social roles and status
- Employment and socio-economic status are the main drivers of social gradients in physical and mental health
Positives to a Sustainable Career
- Job Security
- Financial Security
- Stable Terms and Conditions
- Respect for Professionalism and Knowledge.
- Appreciation for being in the role of a doctor.
- Working with a team over time.
- Ability to develop knowledge and interests.
- Ability to fit work around interests and lifestyle choices.
Challenges to a sustainable career
- Considerable and rapid workload – for example 10 minute appointments
- Time management.
- Increasingly complex care over time.
- Relentless arrival of mail and blood results, and having enough time to action them diligently.
- Care versus cure - long term conditions
- Perhaps running a business over time.
- Need to ensure the team is harmonious and effective.
What is an occupational history
An occupational and environmental history is a chronological list of all the patient’s employment with the intention of determining whether work has caused ill health, exacerbated an existing health problem or has ill health had an impact on the patient’s capacity to work.
Ways in which GP workload can be reduced
Provide additional members to become part of practice team allowing GPs to fulfil their role as expert medical generalists
Changes in staffing and funding to promote sustainability and reduce risk to practices
