Operating room personnel perspectives on sustainable practices in the operative environment

Abstract

The United States healthcare sector is responsible for the highest proportion of carbon emissions attributable to any country. The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of operating room (OR) personnel towards current waste production, energy use and recycling practices, knowledge of institutional policies, and perceived facilitators and barriers to enhancing sustainability in the OR environment. A cross-sectional survey of OR personnel was conducted at a single US academic tertiary care center to assess these perceptions of OR waste and its management. Questions targeted educational/workplace training in sustainable practices, knowledge of existing policies and their success, and ideas for future practices. Age, gender, role in the OR, and experience were collected, and survey responses were analyzed with use of descriptive statistics and testing for response differences by group. The survey responses of 190 individuals revealed that more than 80 % of respondents were unaware of institutional policies for OR sustainability despite most respondents having > 11 years of experience in the OR. If they were aware of sustainability policies, most respondents indicated that the energy saving programs and policies involving recycling and waste reduction were not implemented successfully and could be altered for more efficient use. Most respondents (92 %) indicated that they were willing to adopt new practices to achieve waste reduction in the OR, though one’s role in the OR appeared to influence these findings. Staff willingness to improve OR sustainability may enable the development of education and policies that support institution-scale change.