(295) Physicians' Attitudes Towards Initiatives to Enhance the Environmental Sustainability of Pharmaceutical Treatment

Background: Pharmaceuticals that enter the environment can harm wildlife and ecosystems. Despite increased insight into these harmful effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment, research is scarce on the knowledge of these effects among health professionals and their significance on behaviour. There is also a paucity of studies on health professionals' willingness to make behavioral changes regarding pharmaceuticals with environmental risk.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate how physicians in Sweden receive measures to mitigate the environmental effects of pharmaceuticals.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was disseminated electronically to primary care physicians in Sweden during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024. Dissemination is still ongoing. Participants were presented with statements about proposals and initiatives to enhance the environmental sustainability of pharmaceutical treatment that are currently in debate or could be considered. The participants were asked to rate how much they would support the policy/initiative. Additionally, the questionnaire contained background questions about the respondent's age, sex, region of the workplace, year of graduation, job title, and engagement in quality improvement, professional networks, and environmental issues.

Results: Preliminary results: Of the 1250 invited participants, 285 have fully responded so far. More than half (59%) of the respondents were women, 17% were born in 1969 or earlier, and 29% were physicians under education (medical interns). Most (90%) responded that environmental and climate issues were very or fairly important. Responding physicians were positive towards the presented policies overall, particularly favouring pharmaceutical companies disclosing environmental data (91% fairly or very positive). However, they were less supportive of individual patient responsibility for requesting eco-friendly pharmaceuticals (49% fairly or very positive).

Conclusions: This study shows that Swedish physicians in primary care support policies that could lead to more environmentally sustainable use of pharmaceuticals. There was most support for measures directed at the pharmaceutical industry.