Measures of Sustainability in Healthcare

Abstract

Under the context of the 2030 agenda of the United Nations, sustainability of firms has attracted growing attention. Sustainability and healthcare are intricately related since the quality of our environment affects public health. Based on the acknowledged sustainability practices in healthcare, a compendious theoretical model for sustainability in healthcare has been developed, grounded in appropriate theories. The model encompasses twenty-seven sustainability practices under its triple bottom line (TBL), which have been subsequently reorganized and arranged for analysis into twelve sustainability measures on recommendation from a set of experts. This study investigates the measures of sustainability in Indian healthcare based on an integrated methodology of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). Expert elicitation was employed for establishing the importance, as well as the interrelationships among, the measures. Consequently, a strategic theoretical framework for sustainable healthcare is proposed on the basis of the findings of the ISM method and Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquee a un Classement (MICMAC) analysis. This work has studied the key measures that emerged for policy, practice, and research. The results suggest that research & innovations and indigenous production are significant drivers of sustainable healthcare. In addition, the mediating measures viz. circular practices, waste reduction and management, integrated facilities design, sustainable procurement, employee satisfaction, and green growth may offer guidance and provide a strong direction to healthcare managers and practitioners in achieving their sustainability goals.