Antimicrobials for non-typhoidal Salmonella infection-does it work?: …reducing waste in child health one intervention

Joan Robinson1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. jr3@ualberta.ca

Insights

This feature discusses eco-paediatrics, aiming to reduce healthcare waste by identifying practices that evidence suggests should be stopped. It highlights interventions to discontinue for environmental and economic benefits.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Healthcare Waste Management

Background:

  • Healthcare practices contribute significantly to global waste.
  • There is a growing need to implement sustainable practices in medicine.
  • Eco-paediatrics addresses the environmental impact of child healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To contribute to the global dialogue on reducing healthcare waste.
  • To identify and evaluate medical practices that are no longer supported by evidence.
  • To promote the discontinuation of wasteful practices in paediatrics.

Main Methods:

  • Selection of recent Cochrane reviews.
  • Identification of practices highlighted in reviews that should be discontinued.
  • Analysis of evidence supporting the discontinuation of specific paediatric interventions.

Main Results:

  • Identified specific paediatric practices that are resource-intensive and lack evidence of benefit.
  • Highlighted the potential for waste reduction through evidence-based discontinuation.
  • Provided a framework for evaluating practices based on environmental and clinical evidence.

Conclusions:

  • Discontinuing outdated or unsupported paediatric practices can significantly reduce healthcare waste.
  • Evidence-based medicine is crucial for promoting sustainable healthcare.
  • Eco-paediatrics offers a pathway to more environmentally responsible child health care.

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