Preparing for the degrowth transition in healthcare: Understanding the challenges and opportunities
This is an article by Martin Hensher whose work you should definitely follow if you're interested in health economics and environmental sustainability! Here he discusses the complexities and tensions of the degrowth in the context of healthcare. In it, he acknowledges important issues for the degrowth economy that make it difficult to achieve in healthcare, such as the complex and specialized nature of services, as well as the prominent role of the private/for-profit sector.
Cost Savings and Waste Reduction Through Redispensing Unused Oral Anticancer Drugs: The ROAD Study
From a group of researchers at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, this article (another JAMA Oncology publication this week) reports results from the Redispensing Oral Anticancer Drugs (ROAD) study. The idea is straightforward, the study sought to re-allocate unused anticancer drugs among patients with the intent of reducing costs to patients and also reducing waste and an overall view to promote sustainability. The prospective, multicenter study of roughly 1000 patients found reduced costs to patients as well as reduced waste, while maintaining quality standards.