Posted on: April 19, 2023
A healthy planet contributes to a healthy population. The negative impacts of climate change are impossible to ignore and the healthcare sector contributes approximately ~4% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions (2019).
Dr Valeria Stoynova and Dr Celia Culley are leading the way at Island Health and across BC to reduce the impacts of inhalers on healthcare waste by helping to define new pathways to reduce inhaler waste and encouraging appropriate prescribing.
Led by Drs. Stoynova and Culley, The Critical Air Project is changing the way we think about inhalers at Island Health to reduce waste through various methods starting with encouraging availability of low carbon alternatives alongside the traditional MDIs and following along the patient journey through the acute system. Island Health is committed to environmental sustainability and the work of The Critical Air Project is poised to make significant impacts.
In addition to their work to improve pathways for inhaler use in acute care, Drs Stoynova and Culley focus on appropriate prescribing for patients with asthma in the outpatient setting. Studies show that 1 in 4 Canadians prescribed an inhaler for asthma do not actually have asthma when formally tested. Choosing Wisely Canada recently launched the “Let’s Clear the Air” campaign to encourage conversation between providers and patients who have received a diagnosis of asthma to confirm the diagnosis using pulmonary function testing. Ensuring that patients prescribed inhalers for asthma also have a diagnosis of asthma helps to ensure the right treatment is available to treat the true cause of symptoms, limits the potential for negative side effects, and reduces the financial burden on patients.
Patient resources on asthma are available from Choosing Wisely Canada.
For patients with a formal diagnosis of asthma, many different inhaler options are available. By considering lower carbon alternatives such as DPIs or low-volume propellant MDIs where appropriate, we can engage in a safe, effective, low-cost treatment that significantly reduces individual impacts on climate change.
We always need to keep in mind that the best inhaler for asthma is the one you are willing and able to take! No one should feel bad about needing an inhaler to treat their asthma; for some patients, MDIs may be the safest or most effective treatment.
Treating asthma appropriately – with any inhaler, regardless of the carbon footprint! – will always be lower carbon impact than having an asthma exacerbation that leads to worsening health or hospital visits.
Want to learn more about Dr. Stoynova and Dr Culley’s commitment to “Mitigating the climate impact of asthma therapy”? Click here to read an article co-written by Dr. Stoynova and Dr. Celia Culley.