How techs can help mitigate climate change

A significant contributor to climate change, healthcare in Canada accounts for 4.6% of total national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.*One major culprit of medication-related emissions is pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), due to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) propellant used to deliver medication to the lungs. HFCs are very powerful GHGs. By contrast, because dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and soft mist inhalers (SMIs) don’t have HFCs, they have an overall carbon footprint that is about 10 times lower than that of pMDIs, according to the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS).“There are three direct actions that can reduce inhaler-related emissions,” notes CTS. “Prescribing a DPI over an MDI for patients newly starting on therapy; changing patients already on an MDI to an equivalent DPI; and informing patients about appropriate disposal options.”Read: Bringing compounding best practices to light“There is a huge role for pharmacy technicians to be engaged in environmentally friendly medication-related practices, including with inhalers,” says Dr. Celia Culley, clinical coordinator, Royal Jubilee Hospital Pharmacy, Victoria, B.C. A case in point is a poster she and her team developed with pharmacy technicians outlining a few actions hospital pharmacy technicians can take to fight climate change.On the community pharmacy front, Lu-Ann Murdoch, clinical editor of Pharmacy Practice + Business, suggests several ways in which pharmacy technicians can help reduce the impact of inhalers. Identify patients using MDIs who might be able to switch to a DPI or SMI and provide a list for pharmacist follow-up. Identify patients who are refilling their reliever MDI more than twice per year and provide a list for pharmacist follow-up. This could indicate that their disease is not under control, and they are using their reliever too often, which increases GHG emissions.Review inhaler technique with each MDI refill. A significant portion of GHG emissions comes from improper technique.For patients with difficulties in technique, refer to the pharmacist to determine if the patient is a candidate for spacer use. This will improve drug delivery and lead to fewer GHG emissions. Ask patients to return used or unneeded MDIs to the pharmacy for proper disposal. “A significant portion of GHG emissions comes from improper disposal,” notes Murdoch. Culley suggests technicians “encourage their pharmacy to enrol with Healthsteward.ca, if available in their province.” She also encourages pharmacy techs to consider “purchasing ‘low volume’ salbutamol MDIs for their pharmacy if they have that purchasing influence.” She notes that technicians can have other positive impacts as well. “Supply chain in general is a huge contributor of GHG, so talking to suppliers and distributors about packaging and shipping to reduce emissions and waste, wherever feasible as well as’ ensuring equipment (e.g., refrigerators) is working efficiently in the pharmacy.”

How techs can help mitigate climate change

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics