Generative AI for the Hospitalist: Integration into Care, Training, and Research-Presentation Slide Deck

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This guide, authored by Dr. Katherine T Liu, provides hospitalists with a comprehensive overview of carbon footprinting within healthcare settings, focusing primarily on hospitals. It underscores the significant carbon emissions attributable to the U.S. healthcare sector and highlights the influential role hospitalists can play in mitigating environmental impacts related to patient care.<br /><br />Key learning objectives include understanding the three emission scopes—Scope 1 (direct facility emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from electricity), and Scope 3 (other indirect emissions, especially supply chain)—and grasping the six critical steps to perform carbon footprint assessments in clinical environments: setting goals, selecting boundaries, choosing inventory approaches (bottom-up, top-down, or hybrid), gathering emissions data, calculation of CO2 equivalents, and interpreting results meaningfully.<br /><br />The guide presents case studies demonstrating practical applications: one quantifying the carbon footprint of an inpatient bed day using hybrid inventory methods and detailed emissions data (e.g., energy consumption, waste, supplies), and another evaluating the impact of unnecessary blood draws, incorporating material audits and institutional data to assess environmental, patient, and cost outcomes.<br /><br />Challenges discussed include data limitations such as parameter uncertainty, data reliability, representativeness, and measurement errors. The importance of meaningful interpretation is emphasized by advocating for metrics that consider emissions beyond scope 3 (e.g., patient travel), broader environmental impacts, and linking environmental metrics to health quality and equity.<br /><br />Hospitalists are encouraged to engage with sustainability benchmarks (e.g., Practice Greenhealth data) and recognize emerging regulatory requirements like state-mandated emissions reporting. The guide concludes by stressing that sustainability efforts must uphold or enhance patient care access and quality.<br /><br />Additional resources are provided for further training in carbon accounting and healthcare sustainability, supporting hospitalists in advancing environmentally responsible clinical practices.

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A PDF of the Generative AI for the Hospitalist: Integration into Care, Training, and Research slides.

Keywords

carbon footprinting

healthcare sustainability

hospitalists

carbon emissions

emission scopes

carbon footprint assessment

clinical environment

hybrid inventory methods

environmental impact

sustainability benchmarks