New Study Finds Patients Care About Environmental Impact of Healthcare

Did you see the images of Earth taken from deep space by the astronauts aboard Artemis II this week?

The photographs are breathtaking—our planet suspended in darkness, wrapped in a thin blue veil of atmosphere that sustains all life.

From that distance, the boundaries we tend to draw between human systems and natural systems disappear. The planet looks both vast and fragile at the same time.

It’s a perspective that reminded me that human health and planetary health are deeply intertwined.

A new study from UC San Diego Health suggests patients are beginning to see that connection as well.

In a survey of more than 5,000 respondents, 94% said the health of the planet is very or extremely important to their personal health, and 85% said they would prefer to receive care from an organization committed to sustainability.

Does this mean that the environmental footprint of healthcare is no longer invisible to the people it serves? I think so.

Environmental Impact of Healthcare

This matters because the healthcare industry is a significant contributor to environmental harm. As most of you know, hospitals are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, and plastic consumption in the United States.

Ironically, the systems that are supposed to protect our health can also undermine it through environmental degradation.

Patients seem to understand this connection. When asked which sustainability practices matter most, survey respondents prioritized:

• Reducing waste and single-use plastics
• Transitioning to clean energy
• Offering healthy, locally sourced food

These priorities sound operational. But they reveal something deeper: patients increasingly see environmental stewardship as part of healthcare’s responsibility to “do no harm.”

What This Means for Healthcare Design

For architects, designers, and healthcare leaders, the implications are significant. Sustainability is no longer just a back-of-house issue managed by facilities or procurement teams.

It is becoming part of the patient experience.

Materials, floorcoverings, and furnishings. Waste systems and water management. Energy strategies. Indoor air quality.

These choices shape not only support operational performance, but also the story hospitals and health systems can tell about the environments they provide for patients, families, and staff–that can have a real impact on outcomes.

And increasingly, those stakeholders care. Even staff.

A national survey of U.S. clinicians several years ago by the Commonwealth Fund found that the majority feel it’s important that the health system they work for plays a role in addressing climate change. It might even impact their decision to apply for a job.

From Compliance to Connection

For many hospitals and health systems, sustainability initiatives have historically been driven by compliance, certification, or investor expectations.

Those forces are still important.

But the UC San Diego study suggests another motivation is emerging: alignment with patient values.

Patients want their healthcare providers to reflect the same environmental responsibility they expect from other sectors of society.

That shift—from regulatory obligation to cultural expectation—has the potential to accelerate change. Not only in healthcare, but senior living as well.

The Opportunity

I think it goes without saying that healthcare leaders now understand that the design of the physical environment influences the health and well-being of both patients and staff.

Fresh air. Natural light. Access to nature. Reduced toxins. Fewer carbon emissions.

What this new research highlights is that the conversation is expanding.

Today, patients are not only asking whether the design of the physical environment supports their health and well-being inside the building. They are also asking what impact that building has on the world outside it.

For healthcare organizations willing to lead, this creates an opportunity.

Not just to reduce environmental harm—but to demonstrate that caring for people and caring for the planet are fundamentally connected. That healthy buildings matter.

And increasingly, patients expect nothing less.

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Image credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman