A DATABASE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS WITHIN HEALTHCARE

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About us

Jump to section:

— how to use

— explore the database

— data sources

— data interpretation

HealthcareLCA database

Living repository

Suggested citation: Drew J & Rizan C. (2022). HealthcareLCA Database [Online Database]. HealthcareLCA. Retrieved from: healthcarelca.com/database.

Search the database

HealthcareLCA

How to use the database

HealthcareLCA is a dynamic database that allow users to sort, filter, search, and group data according to their needs.

The database itself consists of two views. The default view shows a list of all healthcare products and processes included within the database. The database can also be viewed by underlying data source, which can be achieved by switching tabs at the top left of the database window.

Individual records can be expanded to view a pop-up summary. Row height can also be adjusted to allow more or less text to be displayed. The table can also be viewed in full screen mode.

While a separate mobile version is available to support viewing on a device, the functionality is more limited and we recommend exploring the data on a laptop or computer.

guide

HealthcareLCA is a user-friendly, intuitive database that brings together environmental assessments of health systems, hospitals, surgical procedures, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals from around the world.

filter

e.g. only display case studies that relate to surgery

sort

e.g. by author, year, or impact

group

e.g. by location, specialty, or assessment method

e.g. find all entries containing specific keywords

Guidance on interpreting our data

Due to underlying methodological and contextual differences between available studies, considerable uncertainty exists regarding the validity and generalizability of the data and charts presented on the HealthcareLCA platform. Recorded impact values should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Directly comparing studies with different methods is not advisable, and any conclusions drawn about the relative effects of one product, activity, or system over another should be reevaluated as new evidence becomes available.

At HealthcareLCA, our goal is to identify relevant studies, summarize the state-of-the-science, and to provide an indication of the magnitude of environmental impacts of healthcare at different scales. We have not critically evaluated the data sources that are included within our database.

comparing studies

Extant assessments cover only a tiny fraction of available healthcare products and activities, are methodologically heterogenous, and lack institutional and geographical diversity. These limitations are inevitably carried forward into our database.

Data verification

We are in the process of introducing a data verification feature to the HealthcareLCA database.

When a new data source is added to the database, a member of our team reaches out to the study's corresponding author requesting that they complete our data verification process.

Authors receive a copy of the data that has been extracted from their study, and are given an opportunity to suggest amendments.

We then review these suggestions and make the appropriate changes within the database.

Once the data verification process has been completed, the relevant entries within the HealthcareLCA database receive a verified badge.

quality assurance

We reach out to all author groups whose research has been included within the HealthcareLCA database to provide them with an opportunity to review the entries associated with their work.

Gallery

underlying data

As with the HealthcareLCA database, our gallery is easy to navigate and references can be searched, filtered, and sorted according to your needs.

Quickly learn which health systems, procedures, treatments, pharmaceuticals, and products have been studied.

Visit the HealthcareLCA gallery for a visual summary of the data sources included within our database

Explore gallery