Webinar: Clinical engagement and emerging best practices in the OR

In the operating room, the stakes are high and moments count. Great measures are taken to prevent bad outcomes. At the same time, the most recent and conservative Practice Greenhealth (PGH) estimate places annual hospital waste at 5.9 million tons per year in the United States alone. Perioperative services is the single largest clinical generator of trash in all of health care, responsible for upwards of 30% of hospital waste, and making the operating room a critical target for sustainability efforts. Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, and OR Nurse decision making play primary roles in resource management. It is ultimately up to the surgeon to decide what surgical instrument to use, and how many to have open and ready in case of emergency. It is up to the anesthesiologist to decide what drugs and devices to similarly prepare in advance. OR nurses, while under much pressure from physicians, also make decisions on which supplies to open. While much of this is necessary, there is room for improvement but hospital sustainability efforts are routinely stymied by lack of staff participation. OR physician and nursing leadership are critical to move the Greening the OR Initiative forward until a culture of sustainability has permeated the OR staff mindset. In this session, we propose strategies for including, recruiting, and possibly mandating anesthesiologist, surgeon, and nurse conservation efforts.