Environmentally Sustainable Practices in Healthcare: Exploring Physicians’ Roles and Ethical Responsibilities

Abstract

The environmental impact of the healthcare sector is increasingly receiving attention, thus raising questions regarding the role of healthcare systems in sustainable transition. This thesis focuses on the role of physicians, examining whether they have an ethical responsibility to adopt sustainable practices, and if so, what this responsibility might entail.

Using the four principles of medical ethics - beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and autonomy - this thesis explores how these principles can offer support for justifying physicians’ responsibilities for sustainability. The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence justify reducing harm and promote health through mitigation and adaptation measures. The principle of justice addresses health disparities associated with environmental harm, and the principle of respect for autonomy highlights how physicians can support patients to make sustainable decisions about their health. The analysis highlights ethical challenges arising from the responsibility for sustainability, such as reducing quality care, creating financial burdens, and undermining trust in physician-patient relationships.

The thesis concludes that physicians have an ethical responsibility for sustainability, and this responsibility includes supporting mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as advocating for environmental health.