Ecoresponsible actions in operating rooms: A health ecological and economic evaluation

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 CO₂. 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 m²year 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.

Keywords: Economic evaluation; Life cycle assessment; Medical device; Reusable device.