Green Hospital Standards in the Teaching Hospitals of Urmia University of Medical Sciences: Compliance Status and Providing Solutions

A Green Hospital is a hospital that sees the environment as a part of its service quality processes and reduces environmental risks by applying effective measures in all dimensions, including management, water, energy, and waste. This study aimed to investigate the status of Green Hospital standards in the teaching hospitals of Urmia University of Medical Sciences (UMSU). This descriptive study was conducted cross-sectionally on eight teaching hospitals associated with UMSU in 2022. The information collection tool was the Green Hospital Checklist, which consists of seven dimensions: energy, waste management, architecture, water, chemicals, supplies, and medicine. Data were collected through field observation and interviews with hospital executives. Descriptive statistics were used in SPSS 22 software for data analysis. According to the results, among the eight hospitals covered by UMSU, four hospitals in the energy consumption dimension, two hospitals in the architecture dimension, one hospital in the waste management dimension, six hospitals in the chemicals dimension, and five hospitals in the medicine consumption dimension met 50% or more of the Green Hospital standards. Regarding water conservation and purchasing supplies, no hospital met the Green Hospital standards. Only one hospital met more than 50% of the Green Hospital standards overall. Considering that the score obtained from the studied hospitals was lower than the desired level, identifying the challenges of achieving standards in implementing Green Hospital programs is paramount. Implementing these standards requires creating a green management team and planning for the seven studied variables.