Sustainable Clinic
Save costs and impress your patients by “greening” the office. Your choices can have a significant impact on reducing emissions, as well as improving the health and environment of your community.
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Reduce Your Medical Office Emissions
While most of the greenhouse gas emissions from the healthcare sector are attributed to hospitals and other large facilities, physician offices are also huge contributors. You can take action to reduce the environmental impact of your office. It will save you money and increase efficiency, while patients and communities appreciate the sustainability efforts. Explore resources to reduce costs, waste, and energy use in your office.
My Green Doctor: Reduce Costs and Waste by making your Clinic more Sustainable
My Green Doctor is the world’s leading practice management resource for healthcare clinics, offices, and outpatient centers on environmental sustainability and climate change. Learn how your clinic can save your practice money while fighting climate change!
Ophthalmologists (and their staff) from an EyeSustain affiliated member society can use this MGDEYESUSTAIN code to have free access.
Create a Medical Waste Disposal Program in 5 Steps
Learn 5 steps to creating a medical waste disposal program that will save you money. Try the online savings calculator to see how much your practice can save!
The Cost of Disposable Instruments
Conventional wisdom often suggests that sustainability is more expensive than more wasteful practices. But a recent UK study in oculoplastics suggests this may not always be the case. In this study, the authors found that over a 10-year period, between the costs of initial purchase, sterilization, repair, and replacement, the total overall cost of non-disposable instruments was £174,046, while the overall estimated cost of disposable instruments was £450,648, meaning an additional £276,602 would be spent over a 10-year period if disposables were used instead of non-disposables. Based on these findings, pursuing waste-reducing measures may not be as financially discouraged as previously thought.
Exploring the Carbon Footprint of Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Electronic medical records (EMR) are gaining worldwide popularity amongst medical providers. Thiel et al explore the environmental implications of using EMR systems compared to paper-record keeping systems. In a novel Life Cycle Assessment Study, the investigators assess environmental emissions from paper medical records and a replacement EMR system at a high-volume eye hospital in Southern India. They found that the EMR system emitted substantially more greenhouse gases (0.361 kg CO2e per patient visit) compared to a paper medical system (0.037 kg CO2e per patient visit). However, they also found that the source of electricity significantly affected greenhouse gas emissions; if using renewable sources, EMR emissions dropped to 0.046 kg CO2e/patient. Overall, the authors highlight that EMR systems produce similar levels of carbon emissions as paper records if utilizing decarbonized energy sources. The healthcare-specific benefits of EMRs including operational efficiency and expanded access to care may be accentuated by sustainably designed EMR systems.
Eliminating operating room waste: A paradigm-altering global movement among ophthalmologists - EyeWorld Article
In this EyeSustain update for the ASCRS Eyeworld Magazine, a major 2023 article investigating the opinions of European Ophthalmologists to OR waste and sustainability is reviewed by Dr. Sjoerd Elferink, an author on the publication, and Dr. Shefali Sood. The article is a follow-up to a prior study investigating the same themes amongst ophthalmologists practicing in the United States. Overall, European and American ophthalmologists had similar attitudes toward waste reduction in the OR, including modifying OR practices to limit single use products. An overwhelming majority of European ophthalmologists expressed concern over global climate change and sought to practice sustainability in their clinics and ORs. In total, the results of both the ESCRS and ASCRS surveys demonstrate the global impetus amongst ophthalmologists to develop strategies for sustainable surgery.