1. Ecoresponsible actions in operating rooms: A health ecological and economic evaluation.
- Author
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Rouvière N, Chkair S, Auger F, Alovisetti C, Bernard MJ, Cuvillon P, Kinowski JM, Leguelinel-Blache G, and Chasseigne V
- Subjects
- Cost-Benefit Analysis, Humans, Pilot Projects, Prospective Studies, Operating Rooms
- Abstract
Background: In the current context of climate change, actions must be taken to improve the hospital's ecological footprint, particularly in the operating room, which is a major consumer of medical devices., Methods: This prospective pilot study assessed the ecological and economic impacts of sustainable actions targeting medical devices designed by a multidisciplinary working group and implemented in the 24 operating rooms of a University Hospital over one year. The ecological analysis was based on the life cycle assessment method and categorized in seven impacts. The economic impact was assessed by a micro-costing analysis and divided in four main expense items: human and material resources, logistics, and waste management., Results: In total, 13 actions were implemented with the aim of reducing waste volume, improving waste sorting, and increasing eco-responsible purchases. In one year, these 13 actions allowed avoiding the emission of 203 tons eq CO
2 . The environmental and human toxicity benefits were 707.8 and 156.2 tons of 1.4 dichlorobenzene, respectively. Concerning non-renewable resources, these actions avoided the extraction of 9 tons of oil (petroleum) and 610 kg of copper per year. These actions led to a land occupation reduction of 1071.3 m2 year and to water saving of 552 m3 . From the economic side, the implementation of these actions brought a gain of €3747.9 for the first year and of €5188.2 for the following years., Conclusion: The integration of sustainable measures in operating rooms leads to important ecological benefits and also generating savings. This more eco-responsible approach should be considered in all healthcare establishments that generate a significant annual volume of waste., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2022
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