title: Future-proofing Hospitals Against Disasters in a Changing Climate: Opportunities and Strategies for Health Promoting Hospitals
Creators: name: Gan, Cai Ru
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Climate change impacts and adaptation
subject: Health promotion
subject: Disaster and emergency management
subject: 4101
subject: 420603
subject: 350703
subject: climate-related disasters
subject: renewable
subject: reliable energy
subject: Promoting Hospitals Network (HPH)
subject: Taiwan’s Health Promoting Hospitals
subject: hospital decisionmakers
subject: 200507 Occupational health
subject: 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health)
subject: 190103 Social impacts of climate change and variability

description: Considerable scientific evidence showing climate change will amplify disasters and cause adverse health impacts. If not mitigated, climate change will push health systems beyond their limits and capacity. The projected trend of increasing climaterelated disasters will intensify existing health risks arising from more frequent and severe extreme weather events like floods, bushfires, poor air and water quality, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This incidents place enormous demands on the future of the healthcare sector, especially on hospitals. To prepare for and deal with the immense challenges ahead, hospitals need to incorporate climate change adaptation (CCA)1 strategies into planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR)2. It is, thus, timely to investigate the feasibility of and pathways to future-poof hospitals against disasters in a changing climate. Hospitals are no stranger to climate change as an issue. They are at the forefront of addressing the health impacts of disasters, treating the illnesses and injuries caused by them, and upholding critical response roles during and after disasters. This role will continue to expand as hospitals struggle to cope with the additional demands of climate change-related disasters. Many hospitals have in place their own emergency response procedures, but little information is available in terms of the extent of how they have incorporated CCA measures into their risk management plans. While hospitals are affected by climate change there is also the reality that they are in part responsible for accelerating climate change. Studies estimate that the healthcare sector is responsible for approximately 4.4% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is important therefore for healthcare to start shifting to renewable and reliable energy sources and adopt environmentally responsible waste management practices. The problem remains to facilitate this; it would require leadership commitment, and full participation of other healthcare sector stakeholders. The organisation Health Promoting Hospitals Network (HPH), with members worldwide, promotes an integrative, eco-friendly partnership approach to improving hospital practices. The HPH is well-suited to leading the way to integrate DRR and CCA to future-proof hospitals, making it an ideal partner for this research. Among its network members, Taiwan, with its extensive HPH network and supportive government policies, was chosen for this study. Therefore, this study aims to examine opportunities and strategies for developing HPH’s work in Taiwan ensuring that hospitals are geared towards being future-proof against disasters brought about by climate change. The research began with an extensive critical literature review and then applied quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct a case study on Taiwan’s Health Promoting Hospitals. The study adopted the participatory action research (AR) approach, commonly used in health promoting settings, because it enables participants to develop strategies and actions for change and improve knowledge, strategies, and actions in the process. Overall, the study found that the AR process enabled HPH participants to lead the climate movement in the healthcare sector in Taiwan. This has led Taiwan’s health promoting hospitals to transform towards a sustainable future. Using the AR process, key challenges to effectively implement DRR and CCA efforts were identified, and it was determined that these issues could be addressed through standards that regulate hospitals. Therefore, the researchers and partners created and advocated for a new climate action standard under Taiwan’s Healthy Hospitals 2.0 Accreditation Program. As the study was being conducted, the whole world was affected by the COVID-19 and soon after a pandemic was announced. This led to the AR to modify its priorities in response to emergency needs. The result is the co-design of eco-friendly measures that could ensure healthcare workers’ protection and safety and to make healthcare reduce hazardous waste given that the pandemic has produced many unintentional health care wastes in the process of battling the virus. The research and its findings first synthesise the literature on the rationale for linking CCA and DRR in the hospital sector to inform health authorities and hospital decisionmakers on the need to incorporate these into future action plans. Second, it identifies useful indicators and strategies to guide climate action for building future-proof hospitals, especially in Taiwan. Third, it addresses organisational changes and ways HPH networks could advocate for and facilitate these changes, including strategies to leverage that hospital accreditation scheme to enhance adherence. Finally, the research adds to the evidence that HPHs can use participatory AR to deal with complex issues to better prepare for the future. This is not only timely but has practical implications for other settings-based health promotion movements such as Healthy Cities, Workplaces, and Health-Promoting Schools to help them integrate CCA and DRR into their future action plans in the pursuit of sustainable development.