Practice Greenhealth

Greening the OR

Virtual cohort group

Body

A typical OR can make up half of a hospital’s aggregate costs, produce 33% of a facility’s waste, consume more energy per square foot than any other area of the hospital. Our Greening the OR experts host sessions to uncover new or best practice strategies in cost savings and efficiency improvement practices. Solutions discussed focus on not only maintaining quality patient care but also supporting staff and environmental health.

Target audience: sustainability leads, ambulatory services, operating room, physicians, and other personnel working on initiatives to make the operating room more efficient and health for all

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Julie Moyle Facilitator:
Julie Moyle, RN, MSN
Contact: jmoyle@practicegreenhealth.org
   

 

 

“MSK recognizes the outsized environmental footprint that our surgical suites can have compared to other areas. We engage in ongoing collaboration in pursuing innovation and advancing sustainable practices around processes that support MSK’s mission and provide the best cancer care to every person we treat.” – Shane Dunne, sustainability manager, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center 

There are more than one hundred hospitals participating in this cohort from around the country. Below are some of the facilities represented in the cohort:

  • Advocate Aurora Health
  • Atrium Health
  • Allina Health
  • Aspirus
  • BJC Healthcare
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • Cleveland Clinic
  • Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Mayo Clinic
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • PeaceHealth
  • Providence Health
  • Ridgeview Medical Center
  • Rush University
  • St. John's Medical Center
  • Stanford Health Care
  • Tampa General Hospital
  • The George Washington University Hospital
  • University of Utah
  • UVM Health Network
  • UW Health
  • UW Medicine - Harborview Medical Center
  • Vail Health

 

2023 Schedule

March 28, 2023 4:00 PM EST (** Note the new day and time)

Topic: Greening the OR carbon hotspot: Transition from single-use disposable to reusable supplies and equipment

Discussion questions:

  1. How have you prioritized your approach to considering reusable supplies/equipment?  
  2. What were the steps you took when considering reusable supplies/equipment?
  3. What points/counterpoints are important to include if/when resistance from clinicians is encountered?
June 20, 2023 4:00 PM EST 

Topic: Greening the OR carbon hotspot: Energy – HVAC, LED lighting, water, retrofits, and behavior  

Discussion questions:

  1. What are the highest and lowest air changes per hour (ACH) per OR? 
  2. What are some options if a hospital/OR suite does not have an automated HVAC system? 
  3. What energy/water efficiency strategies are in place in your sterile processing department?
August 22, 2023 4:00 PM EST 

Topic: Greening the OR carbon hotspot: Anesthetic gases 

Discussion questions:

  1. If you have established your anesthesia gas baseline, what words of wisdom would you share with your peers related to data collection?  
  2. What mitigation strategies have been implemented at your facility to reduce emissions from anesthetic gases?
December 5, 2023 4:00 PM EST

Topic: Addressing barriers to OR waste reduction strategies 

Discussion questions:

  1. What have been barriers to implementing waste reduction efforts in the OR? 
  2. What strategy or approach have you found most effective in moving an OR sustainability initiative forward?
  3. Who were your best allies? Who/what were the roadblocks and how did you overcome them?

 

Recent session presentations

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