Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review

The global healthcare industry has a substantial environmental footprint and therefore has a responsibility to decrease its impact. Changes to increase sustainability will only occur if healthcare providers (HCPs) and decision-makers understand and incorporate environmentally conscious practices in...

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Main Authors: Emre Gorgun, MD, Sumudu Dehipawala, MPH, Matthew O’Hara, MBA, Elena Naoumtchik, MSc, Gaurav Gangoli, PharmD, Crystal Ricketts, PhD, Giovanni A. Tommaselli, MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Health 2024-09-01
Series:Annals of Surgery Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000451
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author Emre Gorgun, MD
Sumudu Dehipawala, MPH
Matthew O’Hara, MBA
Elena Naoumtchik, MSc
Gaurav Gangoli, PharmD
Crystal Ricketts, PhD
Giovanni A. Tommaselli, MD, PhD
author_facet Emre Gorgun, MD
Sumudu Dehipawala, MPH
Matthew O’Hara, MBA
Elena Naoumtchik, MSc
Gaurav Gangoli, PharmD
Crystal Ricketts, PhD
Giovanni A. Tommaselli, MD, PhD
author_sort Emre Gorgun, MD
collection DOAJ
description The global healthcare industry has a substantial environmental footprint and therefore has a responsibility to decrease its impact. Changes to increase sustainability will only occur if healthcare providers (HCPs) and decision-makers understand and incorporate environmentally conscious practices in the operating room (OR). This scoping review aimed to assess hospital initiatives undertaken to support environmental sustainability in the OR, with a focus on HCP and hospital decision-maker beliefs and perceptions related to sustainability. A scoping review was conducted using Embase and PubMed. Searches were performed to identify relevant studies published between January 2011 and November 2022. A total of 163 publications were included: 10 systematic literature reviews and 153 original research articles. Most studies reported department-wide sustainability measures (waste reduction, staff education, etc), which were evaluated by the reduction in generated waste and energy, emission of greenhouse gasses, and costs. Despite up to 97% of HCPs noting willingness to improve sustainability within practices, up to 80.9% of HCPs stated that they lacked the necessary training and information. In conclusion, this research highlights a recent increase in interest about sustainability initiatives in the OR and that HCPs and surgical staff are not only willing to participate but also have suggestions on how to minimize the environmental impact of the OR.
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spelling doaj-art-a1a4f7148c3d44a4b83fe56acf7c97c72025-01-24T09:18:48ZengWolters Kluwer HealthAnnals of Surgery Open2691-35932024-09-0153e45110.1097/AS9.0000000000000451202409000-00009Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping ReviewEmre Gorgun, MD0Sumudu Dehipawala, MPH1Matthew O’Hara, MBA2Elena Naoumtchik, MSc3Gaurav Gangoli, PharmD4Crystal Ricketts, PhD5Giovanni A. Tommaselli, MD, PhD6* From the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH† Evidence, Value, Access & Pricing, Trinity Life Sciences, Waltham, MA† Evidence, Value, Access & Pricing, Trinity Life Sciences, Waltham, MA‡ Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.‡ Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.‡ Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.‡ Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.The global healthcare industry has a substantial environmental footprint and therefore has a responsibility to decrease its impact. Changes to increase sustainability will only occur if healthcare providers (HCPs) and decision-makers understand and incorporate environmentally conscious practices in the operating room (OR). This scoping review aimed to assess hospital initiatives undertaken to support environmental sustainability in the OR, with a focus on HCP and hospital decision-maker beliefs and perceptions related to sustainability. A scoping review was conducted using Embase and PubMed. Searches were performed to identify relevant studies published between January 2011 and November 2022. A total of 163 publications were included: 10 systematic literature reviews and 153 original research articles. Most studies reported department-wide sustainability measures (waste reduction, staff education, etc), which were evaluated by the reduction in generated waste and energy, emission of greenhouse gasses, and costs. Despite up to 97% of HCPs noting willingness to improve sustainability within practices, up to 80.9% of HCPs stated that they lacked the necessary training and information. In conclusion, this research highlights a recent increase in interest about sustainability initiatives in the OR and that HCPs and surgical staff are not only willing to participate but also have suggestions on how to minimize the environmental impact of the OR.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000451
spellingShingle Emre Gorgun, MD
Sumudu Dehipawala, MPH
Matthew O’Hara, MBA
Elena Naoumtchik, MSc
Gaurav Gangoli, PharmD
Crystal Ricketts, PhD
Giovanni A. Tommaselli, MD, PhD
Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
Annals of Surgery Open
title Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
title_full Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
title_fullStr Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
title_full_unstemmed Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
title_short Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in the Operating Room: A Scoping Review
title_sort environmental sustainability initiatives in the operating room a scoping review
url http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000451
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