What do doctors and nursing staff know about pharmaceutical residues in the water cycle and how do they handle them?

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The research project SAUBER+ has the aim of developing innovative concepts and technologies to reduce wastewater loaded with harmful substance from facilities of the public health sector. To achieve this ambitious aim it is not sufficient to quantify existing wastewater streams and to develop ways for their technical treatment. Rather the success of this groundbreaking project is very much dependent on how far it is possible to sensitize the staff of the medical and nursing personnel – who are involved in prescribing and application of medicines – for this problem and to initiate corresponding targeted behavior change. As socio-scientific partner in an extensive interdisciplinary research group, the Institute for Environmental Communication of Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany) investigated the risk awareness and the working and behavioural routines of employees among the medical and nursing personnel in public health facilities. The contribution describes fundamental considerations of the survey as well as a number of selected results are presented and further steps towards their utilisation, encompassing indispensable steps like developing tailored communication offers and learning opportunities for the target groups.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Volume6
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)142-149
Number of pages8
ISSN2078-0737
Publication statusPublished - 2015