Carbon Neutral Hand Surgery: Simple Changes to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Surgical Practices
• Healthcare Sustainability

Background:

• Climate change presents significant challenges to healthcare systems globally.
• Operating rooms contribute substantially to hospital carbon emissions, accounting for 20% to 70% of total waste.
• Urgent need for sustainable practices within surgical specialties, particularly hand surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and suggest actionable changes for a more sustainable practice in hand surgery.
• To explore methods for reducing the carbon footprint of operating rooms.
• To promote a carbon-neutral approach in surgical settings.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search using keywords like "carbon footprint," "environmental health," and "hand surgery" across databases (PubMed, Medline).
• Analysis of existing research to identify effective strategies for sustainability in surgical environments.
• Framework application: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Research, Rethink and Culture".

Main Results:

• Reduction strategies include minimizing material oversupply, utilizing ambulatory settings, and conserving energy.
• Reuse and recycling involve modified sterilization, reprocessing single-use devices, and staff training for waste management.
• Rethinking encompasses telemedicine, "green meetings," and data-driven life cycle assessments for operating room equipment.

Conclusions:

• Implementing carbon-neutral practices is essential for sustainable and cost-effective healthcare.
• Hand surgery can lead other specialties in developing and adopting sustainable operating room guidelines.
• Active leadership from hand surgeons is vital to inspire environmental responsibility among healthcare professionals.