Environmental Sustainability
Climate change has:
- A significant impact on health outcomes
- Partially resulted from healthcare
- 7% of Australian CO2 emissions are from healthcare
- 5% of hospital CO2 emissions are from anaesthesia
Personal Responses
Clinical:
- Inhalational anaesthetic agents
Have significant and sustained environmental impact. Consider:- Avoiding desflurane and nitrous oxide
- Use low-flows
- Minimise use of inhalational agents when clinically permissible
- TIVA
- Regional
- Needles and non-tempered glass medications only in sharps bins
- Rational use of diagnostic tests
Non-clinical:
- Reduce unnecessary travel
- Advocacy
- Research into environmental effects
Hospital Responses
Infrastructure:
- Heating and cooling considerations
- Occupancy-sensing
- Water use
- Auto-off taps
- Power generation
Operating Theatre Responses
- Theatres generate 20-25% of hospital waste
- 60% of theatre waste is recyclable
Reusable equipment:
- Surgical gowns
- Surgical hats
- Anaesthesia equipment
- Laryngoscopes
- LMAs
- Masks
- Circuits
Other:
- Reform prefabricated kits to only contain what is necessary
- Avoid unnecessary use of drugs