Y3 Sustainability and Occupational Health Flashcards
What does sustainability mean?
Ability to continue over a period of time
Why is global sustainability important to healthcare?
Maternal inequality Population and consumption Resource depletion Climate change Loss of biodiversity Crisis in healthcare (increasing age, increasing number of chronic diseases)
What actions could be taken to improve global warming?
- Increase use of renewable energy resources (that is any natural energy resource that can be replenished with the passage of time)
- Modifying human behaviour, being more active
- Move back to more plant based diet
- Educate on carbon literacy and numeracy
- Promote patient resilience
- Teach healthcare students that as well as human anatomical systems we also part of a wider ecological system
What are some ways of attaining low carbon clinical care and NHS sustainability?
- Prioritise environmental health
- Substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives, reduce and safely dispose of waste
- Use energy efficiently and switch to renewable energy, reduce water consumption
- Improve travel strategies
- Purchase and serve sustainably grown food
- Safely manage and dispose of pharmaceuticals
- Adopt greener building design and construction
- Purchase safer more sustainable products
What will low carbon clinical care look like?
- It will be better at preventing conditions (by tackling underlying causes of disease)
- Give greater responsibility to patients in managing their health
- Be leaner in service design and delivery
- Use the lowest carbon technologies
What are positive factors that might contribute 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
What are some challenges to a sustainable career?
Considerable and rapid workload
Time management
Increasingly complex care over time
Relentless arrival of mail and blood results, having enough time to action them diligently
Care vs cure (long term conditions)
Perhaps running a business over time
Need to ensure harmonious and effective team
What is an occupational history?
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
E.g. is PPE used, symptom improvement when not exposed, environmental hazards
What is a fit note?
Has replaced the sick note
Aim is to encourage return to work and about rehabilitation
Required if patient is off work for more than 7 days
What is the role of occupational health specialists?
Play a key role in ensuring health and wellbeing of the working population by preventing work-related ill health and providing specialist rehab advice
They provide independent, impartial advice to employers and employees on the effects of work on health and the effects of health on work
How can unemployment affect health?
Higher mortality
Poorer general health, long standing, illness
Poorer mental health, psychological distress
Higher medical consultation, medical consumption and hospital admission rates
What is in the New GP Contract?
Aim to reduce workload and improve recruitment
Additional members will become part of the practice team and allow GPs to fulfil their role as expert medical generalists
Changes in staffing and funding to promote sustainability of general practice
Effect of changes will reduce risk of practices and to promote sustainability
