Sustainable Healthcare: Greening the OR
Hospital operating rooms use a lot of energy and generate plenty of solid waste. While critical to patient care, improving the sustainability of operating rooms is essential to reducing energy costs and minimizing the environmental impact of healthcare facilities. Here are some best practices from improving the environmental health of your operating rooms.
Reduce medical waste
Implement initiatives to reduce medical waste by promoting proper segregation, recycling, reusing, and reprocessing of materials. This reduces the overall waste generated and contributes to sustainability efforts.
Plastics, such as IV bags and disposable surgical instruments, can be recycled. Disposable surgical linens can be cleaned and reused in certain cases. Also, some healthcare facilities are shifting from single-use medical equipment to reusable personal protective equipment and surgical supplies.
Sustainable procurement
Source sustainable and eco-friendly products for use in operating rooms. Look for suppliers that offer environmentally-friendly alternatives for items like packaging and instruments to reduce waste production.
For example, some healthcare facilities purchase reprocessed or recycled medical equipment and supplies that meet safety standards. This practice helps reduce waste generation while ensuring patient and staff safety.
Water conservation
Reduce water usage by adopting measures like using low-flow faucets, implementing water-saving technologies, and optimizing equipment usage to minimize resource consumption.
Waterless surgical scrub solutions eliminate the need for traditional hand scrubbing with water. Water-saving autoclaves utilize advanced technology and design to minimize water usage during the sterilization process.
Energy efficiency
Incorporate energy-saving strategies such as energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems and building automation controls to save energy in ORs.
An effective energy-saving strategy is to reduce airflow to operating rooms when they are not in use, along with adjustments to supply and space temperatures. LED lights use significantly less energy than conventional halogen lamps and they last much longer. LEDs also give off less heat, which reduces AC use and makes surgical staff feel more comfortable.
Program helps clinic operate more sustainably
Cleveland Clinic implemented a well-structured program to improve OR energy efficiency, reduce environmental impacts and improve patient and caregiver safety and health. Efficiency and sustainability measures included:
- Replacing halogen surgical lighting with high-efficiency LEDs.
- HVAC setbacks to reduce air exchanges to ASHRAE standards, saving energy while ensuring safety and health.
- Water audits during scrubbing and staff education regarding water-saving techniques.
- Program capturing pre-incision clinical plastics for recycling through a community partnership with a vocational services program.
It's important to implement green practices such as these and continue to look for innovative ways to improve sustainability in operating rooms. See Practice Greenhealth for more information about sustainability solutions for your facility. We can help you find ways to save energy and money through sustainable solutions in your building. Contact your TXU Energy sales executive today to learn more.