SHU Poll Results: Health-care Sustainability is a National Priority
Across the U.S., improving patient outcomes remains a top health concern
In a new digital survey, 1,500 participants from around the United States weighed in on factors driving or limiting health-care sustainability. The aim of the survey, conducted by the Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy & Civic Engagement, in partnership with GreatBlue Research, was to determine extent of awareness, understanding of relevant issues and the degree to which people supported sustainability challenges facing our nation. Each topic was measured by relative importance, personal conceptual alignment, perceived benefits and the overall value to society and communities.
Participants varied by age, race, gender, geography, earnings and political affiliation. When presented with five sustainability initiatives and asked to rank them in the order they believe will have the most beneficial impact on society, more than one-third of participants (34%) ranked health-care sustainability as the most important characteristic. The other four topics included environmental, corporate and education sustainability and social justice. Details on each of these subject areas are included in the complete survey.
Nearly three-fifths of respondents (58.1%) ranked “improving patient outcomes” as the most important aspect of health-care sustainability, followed by “improving health outcomes of marginalized populations” (18%).
Over three-fifths of respondents (61.2%) are either “very aware” (21.5%) or “somewhat aware” (39.7%) of the term “health-care sustainability.” According to the SHU description, a sustainable health system is “a system that improves, maintains or restores health, while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and leveraging opportunities to restore and improve it, to the benefit of the health and well-being of current and future generations.” That definition relates to the ability of hospitals and health-care systems to enhance quality of life and improve well-being in a population.
More than four-fifths of nationwide participants (81.4%) indicated the University’s definition is “very similar” (34.9%) or “somewhat similar” (46.5%) to their own definition. More men (64.1%) indicated being aware of the term compared to 58.6% of women. And 68.7% of those making $80,000 - $99,999 indicated awareness of the term compared to 56.6% of those earning less than $20,000.
Overall, more than nine out of 10 participants (91.1%) believe health-care sustainability is either “very important” (59.1%) or “somewhat important” (32%) to them. A similar range of respondents (92.9%) indicated that improving health-care sustainability would be “very beneficial” (62.4%) or “somewhat beneficial” (30.5%) to the community.
Age and priority appeared to go hand in hand. For example, 77.3% of those ages 65 or older ranked “improving patient outcomes” first in importance compared to 49.2% of those ages 18-34. Meanwhile, 21% of those age 18-34 ranked “improving health outcomes of marginalized populations” first in importance compared to 10.4% of those ages 65 or older. And when the same question was rated according to income, 62.4% of those earning $100,000 or more ranked improving patient outcomes first in importance compared to 52.5% of those earning less than $20,000.
Other relevant rankings examined the importance of reducing medical waste, racism in clinical care and health-care education, environmental racism, and access to internet/web resources.
“Not surprisingly, it’s apparent from this survey that the concept of health-care sustainability is a priority for Americans, regardless of age, income, political party or location,” says Steven Michels, director of SHU’s Institute for Public Policy & Civic Engagement. “Health-care sustainability was foremost on the minds of survey respondents, who agree almost uniformly that improving health care benefits every community, and that the discrepancies in health outcomes for marginalized populations need to be better addressed.”
This 33-question digital survey was conducted between November 14 and November 23, 2022, involving 1,500 participants. The margin of error is +/- 2.53%.