Environmental Sustainability of Portuguese Nephrology: A National Survey

Introduction: Healthcare services have a significant environmental impact (EI). The increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease makes nephrology one of the clinical areas with higher EI. The aim of this study was to document Portuguese nephrologists’ current practice regarding environmental sustainability. Methods: Two surveys were developed: one for chiefs of departments and another for all nephrologists registered in the Portuguese Society of Nephrology. Results: There were 153 responders (25.5% response rate): 17 (11%) were chiefs of departments, 36 (23.5%) nephrologists in coordination roles, 60 (39%) nephrologists and 40 (26%) nephrology fellows. The median priority attributed to environmental sustainability was 4 (IQR 3-5). Only one department had established a green group, but 13 were currently undertaking at least one green project (76.5%). Only 6% of responders (8/136) had received formal training on this topic, but more than 90% would like to have more information. The most reported barriers to environmental sustainability practices were inadequate information, lack of adequate facilities, concerns about security and legal norms. Only two facilities (11.8%) declared that environmental sustainability was considered in procurement decisions. More than 70% of the Units did not have regular access to any kind of environmental sustainability audit. Only 3 surveyed units (17.6%) have set up systems to reuse the reverse osmosis rejected water and only half had local on-line dialysate production (9/17, 53%). Conclusion: Portuguese nephrologists wish to incorporate environmental sustainability in their daily practice, however there is a big gap between their intention and current behavior, likely because of the identified barriers.