Quantifying hospital services by carbon footprint: A systematic literature review of patient care alternatives

Alshqaqeeq, Fadhel; Esmaeili, Mohammad Amin; Overcash, Michael; Twomey, Janet M.

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104560

Cited by 54 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Relatively few systematic reviews of health care-related environmental impacts have been undertaken (Alshqaqeeq et al 2020;Brown et al 2012;McGain and Naylor 2014). To the best of our knowledge, this review is the first to assess and critically evaluate the application of LCA across surgical and anesthetic services as a whole, including consideration of operating rooms, procedures, equipment, and related pharmaceuticals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sensitivity of our search strategy was crosschecked with a list of benchmark articles compiled by manually reviewing reference lists of extant systematic reviews of health care-related life cycle assessments (Alshqaqeeq et al 2020;Brown et al 2012;McGain and Naylor 2014; see Box S4 in the Supplemental Material). All benchmark articles were captured by the search strategy.…”

Section: Search Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the application of LCA to health care has lagged behind other sectors (Campion et al 2015), its use has expanded rapidly in recent years, including in the surgical discipline (Cimprich et al 2019). To date, three systematic reviews have surveyed the application of LCA to health care generally, the most recent of which is already 4 y old in its temporal coverage (Alshqaqeeq et al 2020;Brown et al 2012;McGain and Naylor 2014). An important aspect is that none of these reviews has assessed the relative quality of their primary studies, with efforts instead focused on study identification, disciplinary coverage, and impact reporting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2019 ). To date, three systematic reviews have surveyed the application of LCA to health care generally, the most recent of which is already 4 y old in its temporal coverage ( Alshqaqeeq et al. 2020 ; Brown et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Operating in a Climate Crisis: A State-of-the-Science Review of Life Cycle Assessment within Surgical and Anesthetic Care

Drew

Christie

Tyedmers

et al. 2021

Environ Health Perspect

103

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BACKGROUND: Both human health and the health systems we depend on are increasingly threatened by a range of environmental crises, including climate change. Paradoxically, health care provision is a significant driver of environmental pollution, with surgical and anesthetic services among the most resource-intensive components of the health system. OBJECTIVES: This analysis aimed to summarize the state of life cycle assessment (LCA) practice as applied to surgical and anesthetic care via review of extant literature assessing environmental impacts of related services, procedures, equipment, and pharmaceuticals. METHODS: A state-of-the-science review was undertaken following a registered protocol and a standardized, LCA-specific reporting framework. Three bibliographic databases (Scopus ® , PubMed, and Embase ® ) and the gray literature were searched. Inclusion criteria were applied, eligible entries critically appraised, and key methodological data and results extracted. RESULTS: From 1,316 identified records, 44 studies were eligible for inclusion. The annual climate impact of operating surgical suites ranged between 3,200,000 and 5,200,000 kg CO 2 e. The climate impact of individual surgical procedures varied considerably, with estimates ranging from 6 to 1,007 kg CO 2 e. Anesthetic gases; single-use equipment; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system operation were the main emissions hot spots identified among operating room-and procedure-specific analyses. Single-use equipment used in surgical settings was generally more harmful than equivalent reusable items across a range of environmental parameters. Life cycle inventories have been assembled and associated climate impacts calculated for three anesthetic gases (2-85 kg CO 2 e=MAC-h) and 20 injectable anesthetic drugs (0:01-3:0 kg CO 2 e=gAPI). DISCUSSION: Despite the recent proliferation of surgical and anesthesiology-related LCAs, extant studies address a miniscule fraction of the numerous services, procedures, and products available today. Methodological heterogeneity, external validity, and a lack of background life cycle inventory data related to many essential surgical and anesthetic inputs are key limitations of the current evidence base. This review provides an indication of the spectrum of environmental impacts associated with surgical and anesthetic care at various scales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Search Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Operating in a Climate Crisis: A State-of-the-Science Review of Life Cycle Assessment within Surgical and Anesthetic Care

Drew

Christie

Tyedmers

et al. 2021

Environ Health Perspect

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…12 Healthcare contributed to approximately 11% of emissions in the United States in 2011, and it is reported that limited data are available to healthcare professionals regarding the environmental impact of the health services they provide. 13 It has been stressed that environmental sustainability must be considered in the delivery of healthcare, 14 with suggestions that healthcare professionals should be encouraged to support global strategies to mitigate climate change and strive to reduce the emissions of their own medical practices. 15 A search of online databases for scientific articles shows a paucity of studies on the emissions generated from the various healthcare fields and auxiliary medical services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freight-related greenhouse gas emissions in the supply of spectacle and contact lenses

Pillay

Rampersad

Hansraj

2021

African Vision and Eye Health

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Background: Climate change is a global challenge requiring mitigation from all economic sectors. Although the consequences of climate change are well documented, there are limited studies regarding greenhouse gas emissions generated by the optometric industry.Aim: This study explored the greenhouse gas emissions created from the freight-related distribution of spectacle and contact lenses to South Africa (SA) in 2019.Setting: Spectacle and contact lens distributors in SA and an optometric courier service in KwaZulu-Natal.Methods: Data from a survey completed by lens suppliers and a courier service provider in SA were used in a standardised emissions calculations tool.Results: The results indicate significant greenhouse gas emissions generated from the distribution of lenses in SA, which is of concern for climate change alleviation goals.Conclusion: It is recommended that practitioners in the optometric industry, and other healthcare service providers, calculate their emissions data, modify practices to support climate change mitigation and be cognisant of the effect of their practices on the environment.

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Circularity of Polymers Used in Hospitals: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Solutions

Zechel,

Schubert

et al. 2024

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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Polymers are applied extensively in the healthcare sector and enable a variety of different applications. In addition to packaging and personal protective equipment, a large number of medical devices are also coated with or consist of polymers. Today's medicine is therefore inconceivable without these materials. However, the huge challenge is to design these polymers more sustainable and to find new possibilities for the future of medicine with polymers. This study therefore highlights potential ways, in how polymers applied in the healthcare sector and in particular in hospitals can be utilized in a circular manner, but also indicates what risks and challenges this entails.

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Quantifying hospital services by carbon footprint: A systematic literature review of patient care alternatives

Cited by 54 publications

References 52 publications

Operating in a Climate Crisis: A State-of-the-Science Review of Life Cycle Assessment within Surgical and Anesthetic Care

Operating in a Climate Crisis: A State-of-the-Science Review of Life Cycle Assessment within Surgical and Anesthetic Care

Freight-related greenhouse gas emissions in the supply of spectacle and contact lenses

Circularity of Polymers Used in Hospitals: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Solutions

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