Life Cycle Assessment: A Primer for Kidney Professionals.

Abstract

Background: The growing emphasis on low-carbon, sustainable health care systems is driving the integration of environmental sustainability into clinical practice and research. This shift necessitates clinician literacy in health care sustainability, particularly in methodologies for assessing environmental impacts.

Objective: To introduce health care professionals to life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for evaluating environmental impacts in clinical contexts and to illustrate its application through a case study on hemodialysis therapies.

Design: A qualitative assessment of LCA methodology, including its fundamental principles, stages, and applications in health care.

Setting: Hemodialysis materials were collected from In-Centre and Home Dialysis units at Vancouver General Hospital.

Patients/sample/participants: No patients are directly involved in this work; samples of unused hemodialysis materials were collected for process assessment. The target audience is health care professionals, particularly those involved in kidney care, who need to interpret LCA results for informed decision-making.

Methods: Overview of LCA, an internationally standardized methodology that evaluates the environmental impacts of products and processes over their entire life cycle, is presented. The 4 stages of LCA, the key environmental impact categories it assesses, and guidelines for appropriate interpretation and use are explored.

Results: Life cycle assessment provides numerous midpoint data, mechanisms by which damages occur to endpoints, including human health and environments. The case study comparing home versus in-center hemodialysis demonstrates how LCA findings can inform decision-making in kidney care.

Limitations: The interpretation of LCA results requires an understanding of its methodology and limitations. The accuracy of LCA outcomes depends on the quality and scope of data used in the assessment.

Conclusions: As LCA is increasingly applied in clinical settings, health care professionals must develop the skills to critically evaluate and apply its findings. This primer equips kidney care professionals with essential knowledge of LCA methodology, supporting the integration of environmental sustainability into clinical practice.

Trial registration: Not applicable.