Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room

Wu, Samantha; Cerceo, Elizabeth

doi:10.1016/j.jcjq.2021.06.010

“…Radiology as a department can measure their carbon footprints, aiming to achieve a “green” accreditation through appointing sustainability officers to monitor, educate, advocate and implement sustainable initiatives and policies (Arepally et al 2022 ). Formation of a hospital green team with participants from different discipline including nursing, anaesthesiology, material managements, environmental services and marketing can drive positive healthcare impact on the environment (Wu and Cerceo 2021 ). Upchurch suggested scorecards to be used for tracking waste, advocating for incentives for surgeons in governing sterile supplies (Upchurch 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability in interventional radiology: are we doing enough to save the environment?

Shum

¹

,

Kok²,

Maingard

³

et al. 2022

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Background Healthcare waste contributes substantially to the world’s carbon footprint. Our aims are to review the current knowledge of Interventional Radiology (IR) waste generation and ways of reducing waste in practice, to quantify the environmental and financial impact of waste generated and address green initiatives to improve IR waste management. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in July 2022 using the Medline and Embase literature databases. The scope of the search included the field of IR as well as operating theatre literature, where relevant to IR practice. Results One-hundred articles were reviewed and 68 studies met the inclusion criteria. Greening initiatives include reducing, reusing and recycling waste, as well as strict waste segregation. Interventional radiologists can engage with suppliers to reformulate procedure packs to minimize unnecessary items and packaging. Opened but unused equipment can be prevented if there is better communication within the team and increased staff awareness of wasted equipment cost. Incentives to use soon-to-expire equipment can be offered. Power consumption can be reduced by powering down operating room lights and workstations when not in use, changing to Light Emitting Diode (LED) and motion sensor lightings. Surgical hand wash can be replaced with alcohol-based hand rubs to reduce water usage. Common barriers to improving waste management include the lack of leadership, misconceptions regarding infectious risk, lack of data, concerns about increased workload, negative staff attitudes and resistance to change. Education remains a top priority to engage all staff in sustainable healthcare practices. Conclusion Interventional radiologists have a crucial role to play in improving healthcare sustainability. By implementing small, iterative changes to our practice, financial savings, greater efficiency and improved environmental sustainability can be achieved.

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“…While medico-economic dimensions may now be incorporated into research protocols, medico-ecological ones are not currently considered 186 . However, ecological impact should become a criterion 11 186 187 188 in the choice of research strategy 85 188 189 190 . A research agenda focused on the most urgent topics is proposed in Table 8 .…”

Section: The Path Towards Environmentally Sustainable Gi Endoscopy ( ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing the environmental footprint of gastrointestinal endoscopy: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA) Position Statement

Santiago

¹

,

Dinis‐Ribeiro²,

Pohl

³

et al. 2022

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Climate change and the destruction of ecosystems by human activities are among the greatest challenges of the 21st century and require urgent action. Health care activities significantly contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases and waste production, with gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy being one of the largest contributors. This Position Statement aims to raise awareness of the ecological footprint of GI endoscopy and provides guidance to reduce its environmental impact. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and the European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA) outline suggestions and recommendations for health care providers, patients, governments, and industry. Main statements 1 GI endoscopy is a resource-intensive activity with a significant yet poorly assessed environmental impact. 2 ESGE-ESGENA recommend adopting immediate actions to reduce the environmental impact of GI endoscopy. 3 ESGE-ESGENA recommend adherence to guidelines and implementation of audit strategies on the appropriateness of GI endoscopy to avoid the environmental impact of unnecessary procedures. 4 ESGE-ESGENA recommend the embedding of reduce, reuse, and recycle programs in the GI endoscopy unit. 5 ESGE-ESGENA suggest that there is an urgent need to reassess and reduce the environmental and economic impact of single-use GI endoscopic devices. 6 ESGE-ESGENA suggest against routine use of single-use GI endoscopes. However, their use could be considered in highly selected patients on a case-by-case basis. 7 ESGE-ESGENA recommend inclusion of sustainability in the training curricula of GI endoscopy and as a quality domain. 8 ESGE-ESGENA recommend conducting high quality research to quantify and minimize the environmental impact of GI endoscopy. 9 ESGE-ESGENA recommend that GI endoscopy companies assess, disclose, and audit the environmental impact of their value chain. 10 ESGE-ESGENA recommend that GI endoscopy should become a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions practice by 2050.

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“…Radiology as a department can measure their carbon footprints, aiming to achieve a "green" accreditation through appointing sustainability o cers to monitor, educate, advocate and implement sustainable initiatives and policies (Arepally et al, 2022). Formation of a hospital green team with participants from different discipline including nursing, anaesthesiology, material managements, environmental services and marketing can drive positive healthcare impact on the environment (Wu and Cerceo, 2021). Upchurch suggested scorecards to be used for tracking waste, advocating for incentives for surgeons in governing sterile supplies (Upchurch, 2022).…”

Section: Staff Education and Awarenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Replacing blue sterile wrap with hard metal cases is another environmentally friendly and cost saving solution (Pradere et al, 2022;Wyssusek et al, 2019). Many volunteers also spearheaded projects to repurpose blue wraps into ponchos, duffel bags, bedrolls, tarps, shopping bags, wallets, neckties, or sleeping bags for charity, for the homeless or distribute them for free (Wu and Cerceo, 2021).…”

Section: Blue Wrapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability in Interventional Radiology: Are we doing enough to save the environment?

Shum

¹

,

Kok

²

,

Maingard

³

et al. 2022

Preprint

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Healthcare waste contributes substantially to the world’s carbon footprint. Our aims are to review the current knowledge of Interventional Radiology (IR) waste generation and ways of reducing waste in practice, to quantify the environmental and financial impact of waste generated and address green initiatives to improve IR waste management. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in July 2022 using the Medline and Embase literature databases. The scope of the search included the field of IR as well as operating theatre literature, where relevant to IR practice. Results One-hundred articles were reviewed and 68 studies met the inclusion criteria. Greening initiatives include reducing, reusing and recycling waste, as well as strict waste segregation. Interventional radiologists can engage with suppliers to reformulate procedure packs to minimize unnecessary items and packaging. Opened but unused equipment can be prevented if there is better communication within the team and increased staff awareness of wasted equipment cost. Incentives to use soon-to-expire equipment can be offered. Power consumption can be reduced by powering down operating room lights and workstations when not in use, changing to Light Emitting Diode (LED) and motion sensor lightings. Surgical hand wash can be replaced with alcohol-based hand rubs to reduce water usage. Common barriers to improving waste management include the lack of leadership, misconceptions regarding infectious risk, lack of data, concerns about increased workload, negative staff attitudes and resistance to change. Education remains a top priority to engage all staff in sustainable healthcare practices. Conclusion Interventional radiologists have a crucial role to play in improving healthcare sustainability. By implementing small, iterative changes to our practice, financial savings, greater efficiency and improved environmental sustainability can be achieved.

show abstract

Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room

Cited by 34 publications

References 63 publications

Sustainability in interventional radiology: are we doing enough to save the environment?

Sustainability in interventional radiology: are we doing enough to save the environment?

Reducing the environmental footprint of gastrointestinal endoscopy: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA) Position Statement

Sustainability in Interventional Radiology: Are we doing enough to save the environment?

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