Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgeons Are Poised to Lead Efforts in Promoting Sustainability in the Operating Room

Health care spending comprises almost 20% of the US economy, averaging over $13,000 per person in 2022. Similarly, health care systems are responsible for a considerable portion of greenhouse gas emissions both nationally and globally. Operating rooms are resource-intensive and account for large portions of hospital waste. Hand and upper-extremity surgery is unique among surgical specialties given its high-volume and ability to use different surgical environments, such as office-based surgery or procedure rooms, along with wide-awake surgery with local anesthesia. As such, hand surgeons are positioned to be leaders in initiatives aimed at ameliorating waste and promoting sustainability in surgery. Minimizing our environmental impact and addressing surgical contributions to climate change are priorities of several hand surgical societies and organizations. Hand surgeons around the globe are taking a deeper look into where scalable, efficient, and valuable impacts can be made. While important efforts have been implemented, ongoing work in this space is imperative. Best practices should be created, scaled, and shared for clinical care, auditing methods, and reporting standards.