Related Resources

Here are some resources and articles that we recommend! The intersection between sustainability and healthcare is important to our mission so we feel it is important to share other resources that carry the same message.

Healthcare Without Harm

An international organization with the goal of transforming healthcare across the world by lessening the environmental footprint. A phenomenal project due to the impact it has on the globe, an eventual goal of ours.

Greening the Operating Room

This resource comes from the American Society of Anesthesiologists gives a detailed explanation as to how the operating room and perioperative area can become more 'green.'

Practice Green Health

A nonprofit dedicated to sharing information and news when it comes to strides within the healthcare field regarding sustainability. This is a great resource to better understand the grandness of the lack of sustainability within medicine.

Evidence Supporting Perioperative Waste

The Impact of Planning and Communication on Unplanned Costs in Surgical Episodes of Care: Implications for Reducing Waste in Hospital Operating Rooms

This ethnographic study of more than 90 surgeries (referred to as episodes of care) identifies the antecedents to operating room (OR) supply waste. The study specifically considers the role of planning instances and communication patterns among members of the surgery team on supply waste within the OR.

Assessing the Cost of Disposable and Reusable Supplies Wasted During Surgeries

The management of disposable and reusable supplies might have an impact on the cost efficiency of the Operating Room (OR). This study aimed to evaluate the cost and reasons for wasted supplies in the OR during surgical procedures.

Reducing Disposable Equipment Waste For Tonsillectomy and Adenotonsillectomy Cases

Large amounts of waste in hospitals are generated in the operating rooms from disposable surgical supplies. Tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy (T&A) cases use many disposable supplies that are not recyclable. It is critical to reduce disposable waste, as such waste directly affects the environment and increases health care costs.

Operating Room Waste: Disposable Supply Utilization in Neurosurgical Procedures

Accounting for the different case distribution in the 58 selected cases, the authors estimate approximately $968 of OR waste per case, $242,968 per month, and $2.9 million per year, for their neurosurgical department.

Operating Room Waste: Disposable Supply Utilization in Neurointerventional Procedures

"Disposable interventional products had a very high impact on the surgical waste costs in the series of the neurointerventional procedures (95% of total waste)."

Evaluation of Operative Waste in a Military Medical Center: Analysis of Operating Room Cost and Waste During Surgical Cases

It was found on average for less complex cases such as open inguinal hernia repairs, $1.44 was potentially wasted per case, whereas for more complex cases up to $379 was wasted per case.