Patient Perspectives on Climate Change and Sustainable Healthcare Practices: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Abstract

Background and aims: In the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), resource-intensive procedures, such as endoscopy and treatment with biologics, substantially increase the environmental footprint. Understanding patients' perceptions on sustainable healthcare is crucial to develop climate-friendly policies. We explored perspectives on climate change and healthcare in patients with IBD using a cross-sectional survey.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire was distributed to the Crohn and Colitis Netherlands panel and shared on their social platforms. The questionnaire included 27 items covering climate-related knowledge, concerns, sustainable behavior, the healthcare system's role in climate change, opinions on sustainable treatment alternatives, demographics, and IBD history. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics and responses. Cluster analysis was performed to identify subgroups with similar perspectives.

Results: The analysis included 498 responses. A majority (72.5%) expressed concerns about climate change and 78.1% engaged in sustainable behaviors. Whilst 58.4% of patients preferred not to receive background information on sustainability when choosing between treatments, 71.3% would opt for the most sustainable treatment, 85.7% support reusable medical materials, and 77.1% would be willing to adjust their current IBD treatment to a more sustainable option. Support for sustainable healthcare practices was more divided when measures involved personal inconvenience. We identified three clusters with varying perspectives on sustainable healthcare practices. In the cluster with the most positive perspective on climate-friendly healthcare, patients were more often higher-educated, had more baseline knowledge on climate change, and already made sustainable choices in their daily life.

Conclusions: IBD patients are concerned about climate change and generally support sustainable healthcare practices, provided these do not compromise their health or cause personal inconvenience.