TY - JOUR
T1 - Targeted intervention to achieve waste reduction in gastrointestinal endoscopy
AU - Cunha Neves, João A.
AU - Roseira, Joana
AU - Queirós, Patrícia
AU - Sousa, Helena Tavares
AU - Pellino, Gianluca
AU - Cunha, Miguel F.
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - Objective Endoscopy is healthcare's third largest generator of medical waste in hospitals. This prospective study aimed to measure a single unit's waste carbon footprint and perform a pioneer intervention towards a more sustainable endoscopy practice. The relation of regulated medical waste (RMW; material fully contaminated with blood or body fluids or containing infectious agents) versus landfill waste (non-recyclable material not fully contaminated) may play a critical role. Design In a four-stage prospective study, following a 4-week observational audit with daily weighing of both waste types (stage 1), stage 2 consisted of a 1-week intervention with team education of waste handling. Recycling bins were placed in endoscopy rooms, landfill and RMW bins were relocated. During stages 3 (1 month after intervention) and 4 (4 months after intervention), daily endoscopic waste was weighed. Equivalence of 1 kg of landfill waste to 1 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2e) and 1 kg of RMW to 3kgCO 2e was assumed. Paired samples t-tests for comparisons. Results From stage 1 to stage 3, mean total waste and RMW were reduced by 12.9% (p=0.155) and 41.4% (p=0.010), respectively, whereas landfill (p=0.059) and recycling waste increased (paper: p=0.001; plastic: p=0.007). While mean endoscopy load was similar (46.2 vs 44.5, p=0.275), a total decrease of CO 2e by 31.6% (138.8kgCO 2e) was found (mean kgCO 2e 109.7 vs 74.9, p=0.018). The annual reduction was calculated at 1665.6kgCO 2e. All these effects were sustained 4 months after the intervention (stage 4) without objections by responsible endoscopy personnel. Conclusion In this interventional study, applying sustainability measures to a real-world scenario, RMW reduction and daily recycling were achieved and sustained over time, without compromising endoscopy productivity.
AB - Objective Endoscopy is healthcare's third largest generator of medical waste in hospitals. This prospective study aimed to measure a single unit's waste carbon footprint and perform a pioneer intervention towards a more sustainable endoscopy practice. The relation of regulated medical waste (RMW; material fully contaminated with blood or body fluids or containing infectious agents) versus landfill waste (non-recyclable material not fully contaminated) may play a critical role. Design In a four-stage prospective study, following a 4-week observational audit with daily weighing of both waste types (stage 1), stage 2 consisted of a 1-week intervention with team education of waste handling. Recycling bins were placed in endoscopy rooms, landfill and RMW bins were relocated. During stages 3 (1 month after intervention) and 4 (4 months after intervention), daily endoscopic waste was weighed. Equivalence of 1 kg of landfill waste to 1 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2e) and 1 kg of RMW to 3kgCO 2e was assumed. Paired samples t-tests for comparisons. Results From stage 1 to stage 3, mean total waste and RMW were reduced by 12.9% (p=0.155) and 41.4% (p=0.010), respectively, whereas landfill (p=0.059) and recycling waste increased (paper: p=0.001; plastic: p=0.007). While mean endoscopy load was similar (46.2 vs 44.5, p=0.275), a total decrease of CO 2e by 31.6% (138.8kgCO 2e) was found (mean kgCO 2e 109.7 vs 74.9, p=0.018). The annual reduction was calculated at 1665.6kgCO 2e. All these effects were sustained 4 months after the intervention (stage 4) without objections by responsible endoscopy personnel. Conclusion In this interventional study, applying sustainability measures to a real-world scenario, RMW reduction and daily recycling were achieved and sustained over time, without compromising endoscopy productivity.
KW - Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal
KW - Hospitals
KW - Humans
KW - Medical Waste/prevention & control
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Waste Disposal Facilities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136913099&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/10932adb-607f-30b9-a024-24992c6f97aa/
UR - https://portalrecerca.uab.cat/en/publications/455b5768-59a6-422b-b462-28dcbd5b185d
U2 - 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327005
DO - 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327005
M3 - Article
C2 - 35985798
AN - SCOPUS:85136913099
SN - 0017-5749
VL - 72
SP - 306
EP - 313
JO - Gut
JF - Gut
IS - 2
ER -