Sustainability

Article • Impact of ICM packaging and delivery systems

Contrast media bottles: benefits of switching to multi-dose

Iodinated contrast media (ICM) enhance CT imaging, but its single-dose packaging is increasingly proving at odds with modern, more sustainable imaging practices. New award-winning research by a radiology resident and faculty members at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, proposes a promising alternative: A switch from using single-dose injectable contrast media kits to…

News • Looking beyond the operating theatre

The three global health challenges surgeons must tackle

Surgeons will need to tackle three major challenges with the most potential to reduce major causes of death and improve access to surgical care, according to an international group of experts.

News • Message from our partner

Make a step towards sustainable digital healthcare ecosystem at Automa+ 2023

Executive opening panel dedicated to the sustainable digital healthcare ecosystem is the highlight of the Automa 2023 Congress (September, 25-26, Zurich, Switzerland).

News • Sustainability in cardiology

Finnish reseachers develop fully biodegradable ECG patch

A team at the Finnish research institute VTT has created a biodegradable ECG patch, aiming to pave the way to a more sustainable future for wearable electronic devices.

News • Reducing the carbon footprint

How to achieve 'greener' heart healthcare

A new review has shown how medical professionals in cardiology can help reduce healthcare's carbon footprint, by making small, low-cost changes in how they work.

News • Potential for energy, cost and emission reduction

Research proves eco-impact of MRI machine operation changes

A research partnership has proven medical centers can achieve significant carbon reduction and cost savings by turning off or putting MRIs into the lowest power setting when not in use.

News • Surgery & medical economics

Carbon footprint of single-use surgical items in common operations

A new analysis of the carbon footprint of products used in the five most common surgical operations shows that 68% of carbon contributions come from single-use items.

Article • Plenary discussion at ECR 2023

Sustainable radiology: why it takes more than “greener” imaging systems

It’s clear that radiology is lacking in the “green” department: healthcare still causes a large share of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, not least due to diagnostic imaging. Dr Sarah Sheard from Imperial College Healthcare, UK, invited her ECR audience to take a closer look at radiology’s climate footprint – and revealed ways to make the field more sustainable.

Article • Stepping outside of healthcare to help the planet

Radiologists as champions for health equity

Climate change will impact health and complicate access to care for the most vulnerable, but radiologists can do more than just sticking to their jobs. They should step outside the confines of their specialty and promote health and wellbeing in their communities, an eminent American radiologist explained at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Hygiene in endoscopy: What’s next?

For many endoscopy wards, 2022 has been a year of transition and transformation. The field saw the advent of innovative reprocessing techniques, but also increasing strain due to personnel shortage and the demand for greater sustainability. We spoke with Paul Caesar, Reprocessing and Infection Control Leader EMEA at Pentax Medical, about the company’s upcoming solutions for the year ahead.

News • Greenhouse gas emissions

Reducing anesthetics reduces climate impact without increasing patient risk

Reducing the dosage of inhaled anesthetics during surgery can contribute to decreasing a hospital's greenhouse gas emissionses without affecting patient care, a new study shows.

News • Sustainability assessment

EU laws need to look at the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals, study finds

Current EU regulation does not adequately consider the environmental emissions of pharmaceuticals in global manufacturing supply chains, a recent study from Finland concludes.

Innovating products that balance patient safety and environmental concerns

As transparency surrounding the eco-footprint of hospitals becomes more important, medical device manufacturers must recognize the need for action to tackle global challenges, such as climate change.

News • Appeal for sustainability

POCT: Why the medical sector must tackle its single-use diagnostic waste

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of these single-use diagnostics, or point-of-care tests has exploded. This is having major environmental consequences, experts point out.

Article • Developing a sustainability calculator

Tackling the eco-footprint of healthcare

There is a growing awareness of the healthcare sector’s adverse impact on the environment due to its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). A recent report from the non-profit organisation Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) finds that globally, healthcare is responsible for 4.4 % of total net GHG emissions.

News • Sustainability study

Virtual care: saving environmental and patient cost

A new study finds that virtual care during the Covid-19 pandemic led to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and patient travel-related expenses, such as gasoline, parking or public transit costs.

News • Focus on sustainability

Exploring the value of health IT in fighting climate change

At this year's Medica (Nov 14-17), the Health IT Forum offers a special focus on how health IT can contribute to more sustainability in healthcare, and on optimising treatment workflows.

Article • Beyond economics

Coming soon: Sustainability reporting for hospitals

A company’s impact on society, economy and the environment cannot be measured in financial terms alone – and hospitals are no exception. On the contrary: the idea of measuring the quality of healthcare only in economic terms has always been fraught with problems. Hospitals as organizations have always played an important social role, and their environmental impact is increasingly recognized.

Interview • Global warming awareness

Showing health implications of climate change is best way to reach public

John Kotcher from George Mason University says that emphasizing the health implications of climate change is one of best ways to engage the public to fight for better policies.

Video • Bowel cancer removal

Sustainability: UK surgeons perform first ‘net zero’ operation

Surgeons completed the first documented ‘net zero’ operation in the NHS, combining evidence-based approaches and documents using a carbon output calculator developed specifically for this task.

Article • Antimicrobial resistance development

AMR and climate change: a worrying dual threat to global health

Climate change and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are forming an alarming alliance: Global warming creates new breeding grounds for resistant bacteria. A serious and very real threat to public health – but not quite the doomsday scenario some might make it out to be, says Prof Sabiha Essack from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.

Article • Infection prevention

Making endoscopy safe and sustainable

Hygienic, single-use components are widely used in endoscopy to ensure patient safety but are considered wasteful. Reprocessing is a more sustainable alternative but requires special equipment and training to avoid equipment contamination. This creates an area of conflict for physicians, hospital staff, but also for manufacturers. We spoke with two experts at Pentax Medical about challenges in…

Article • Energy conservation & waste reduction

Reducing the eco-footprint of radiology

Contrast agents in the wastewater and power-hungry imaging systems: The eco-footprint of healthcare is huge, and radiology departments are among the main culprits. An expert panel at the ECR Overture explored ways to make the field “greener”.

News • United appeal

Climate change: 200 health journals call on world leaders to address “catastrophic harm to health”

'Unite behind the science' is an essential appeal from climate activist figurehead Greta Thunberg – and so they did: Over 200 health journals across the world have come together to simultaneously publish an editorial calling on world leaders to take emergency action to limit global temperature increases, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health. While recent targets to reduce…

News • Environmental connections

Has climate change driven the emergence of SARS-CoV-2?

Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a hotspot for bat-borne coronaviruses, by driving growth of forest habitat favoured by bats. A new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment provides the first evidence of a mechanism by which climate change could have played a direct role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the…

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