Abstract
Surgery is a carbon‐heavy activity and creates a high volume of waste. Surgical teams around the world want to deliver more environmentally sustainable surgery but are unsure what to do and how to create change. There are many interventions available, but resources and time are limited. Capital investment into healthcare and engagement of senior management are challenging. However, frontline teams can change behaviours and drive wider change. Patients have a voice here too, as they would like to ensure their surgery does not harm their local community but are concerned about the effects on them when changes are made. Environmentally sustainable surgery is at the start of its journey. Surgeons need to rapidly upskill their generic knowledge base, identify which measures they can implement locally and take part in national research programmes. Surgical teams in the NHS have the chance to create a world‐leading programme that can bring change to hospitals around the world. This article provides an overview of how surgeons see the surgical team being involved in environmentally sustainable surgery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 293-300 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Anaesthesia |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 11 Jan 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 11 Jan 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Acknowledgments:This study/project is funded by the NIHR (NIHR204403: Developing environmentally sustainable operating theatres). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Data sharing not applicable as no datasets were generated and/or analysed in this study. No competing interests declared.
Keywords
- anaesthesia
- environment
- surgery
- sustainability