GP practices in the UK face high rates of meter dose inhaler prescribing, so Wyre Forest Health Partnership (WFHP) sought out to find an environmentally sustainable alternative. A team of nurses and doctors made it happen.
Many inhalers contain powerful greenhouse gases. Switching to a greener dry powder inhaler reduces this impact significantly.
1. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
However, many patients don’t realise that their inhaler has a significant carbon footprint. In fact, the most common inhaler in the UK, the Ventolin Evohaler, has a carbon footprint of around 28kg of CO2 per year! This is equivalent to driving half a million cars for a year.
Medicines are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the NHS. The majority of these emissions are attribute to pressurise meter dose inhalers, which contain powerful greenhouse gases. These gases contribute to climate change and are harmful to ozone and human health. As a result, the NHS has announce ambitions to become net carbon zero, which requires a reduction in the emissions associate with medicines prescribing.
The main way that this can be achieve is by reducing the number of MDIs that are prescribed. This can be done by encouraging prescribers to consider alternatives, such as dry powder inhalers and aqueous mist inhalers. This is a safe and effective way to reduce the overall GHG emissions associate with inhalers without negatively impacting patient outcomes.
Although it may have a higher up-front cost, replacing MDIs with Green Asthma Inhaler could significantly reduce the NHS’ GHG emissions. This would help the NHS achieve its goal of becoming a net carbon zero healthcare system while still allowing patients to manage their lung conditions effectively.
However, it is important to note that if you stop using your inhaler because of its carbon footprint you should speak with your health care professional before doing so. They will be able to advise you of whether or not the alternative inhaler you are considering is suitable for your condition.
2. Save Money
Currently, millions of people in the UK use metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) to manage their respiratory condition. pMDIs work by using a pressurise propellant to atomise the medicine into microscopic droplets which the patient can inhale into their lungs. Unfortunately, the propellants use in pMDIs are usually hydrofluorocarbons which are powerful greenhouse gases.
Thankfully, there are other types of inhalers that don’t contain greenhouse gases and can still be effective at treating respiratory conditions. These inhalers are known as dry powder inhalers or soft mist inhalers (DPIs or SMIs) and they’re often more comfortable to use than pMDIs. Moreover, DPIs don’t have the same carbon footprint as pMDIs.
The NHS is keen to maximise DPI prescribing because they’re environmentally sustainable and just as effective. However, this is complicate by the fact that the higher costs of DPIs are a barrier to change. This raises ethical issues about burden sharing justice and whether or not the NHS should accept the higher cost of environmentally sustainable Cheapest Inhaler For Asthma without a direct health benefit to patients.
As climate change mitigation carries health benefits it could seem fair that the NHS should be willing to accept the higher cost of DPIs. However, the health benefits are likely to occur long after a switch to DPIs is made. In addition, the NHS has a responsibility to promote the highest level of care possible.
3. Reduce Asthma Symptoms
The standard treatment for asthma and COPD is a pressurize metered-dose inhaler. However, these devices have a high carbon footprint that contributes to climate change. Fortunately, there are alternatives that are just as effective and have a lower environmental impact. Health care systems and individual patients can take steps to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to green inhalers.
The first step in reducing emissions from inhalers is to make sure that patients use their MDIs properly. If they don’t, they are wasting the medicine and not getting the full benefits of the medication. Patients can receive training from their asthma nurse, GP or pharmacist to improve inhaler technique. They can also watch online videos, such as those from Asthma + Lung UK, which provide simple demonstrations of proper inhaler technique.
A second step is to make sure that patients don’t have too many MDIs. Too many can increase the risk of a dry mouth or throat, which can interfere with inhaler effectiveness. Lastly, patients should return their use round inhaler for asthma for recycling or disposal.
Health care professionals can also help by educating patients about the carbon footprint of their inhalers. Patients want to know that their actions are having a positive impact, so providing them with this information can be an important way for health care providers to engage with patients.
As the world’s population grows, rates of respiratory disease are expect to rise. Many of these illnesses will require treatment with inhalers, so it’s important for health care providers to work toward lowering their carbon footprint and mitigating the impact on climate change. With the right policies and incentives, hospitals can make it easier for patients to switch to green inhalers that are just as effective as their current medications.
4. Improve Overall Health
Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) are commonly prescribe to people with respiratory conditions like asthma. They use a pressurise propellant to atomise a medicine into tiny droplets that can be inhale and deliver into the lungs. These inhalers were originally designe with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as the propellant which are potent greenhouse gases and ozone depletors, but have since been replace with hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs). The average metered-dose inhaler has an emissions footprint of about half a million cars per year.
However, new inhalers have been develop that use HFA-free propellants and have a much lower carbon footprint – the smallest Green Inhaler, for example, has an emissions savings of 14 tonnes of CO2 a year.
A Green Inhaler uses a unique coloure dot identifier to distinguish the different medications that can be store inside. Using two overlapping dots, brown conveys the inhaler contains ICS and LABA, while red is use to indicate rescue medication or a long-term maintenance drug like ciclosporine. The identifying dot system is easy to understand, visually appealing and does not require any additional equipment or training.
The NHS should make this switch to greener inhalers a priority, not least because of the clear link between the private good of improve health and the public good of mitigating climate change.
However, it is important that we do not sacrifice the benefits of switching to greener inhalers for financial reasons. As well as having a positive impact on the environment, a Green Inhaler can save money, which is why it should be the default option for anyone with a chronic respiratory condition who has been prescribe a MDI. This is particularly important as the NHS has a legal obligation to provide the best quality care at the lowest cost.
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