Reducing healthcare waste by eliminating exam table paper in a primary care practice: a sustainable quality improvement initiative.

IF 1.3 Q4 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES BMJ Open Quality Pub Date : 2024-10-28 DOI:10.1136/bmjoq-2024-002838
Ilona Hale, Amanda McKenzie
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Abstract

Purpose: Climate change is now the greatest threat to human survival. The healthcare system contributes significantly to global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Individual practitioners play an important role in helping to reduce these impacts in day-to-day practice. Deimplementation of unnecessary processes and products, such as exam table paper, in medical offices is one simple approach to incorporating principles of planetary health into practice. All quality improvement (QI) projects must start to consider environmental impacts to fully evaluate change ideas.

Methods: We designed a single Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle using the Institute for Health Improvement Model for Improvement. We removed the exam table paper from our primary care office and measured changes in staff time, laundry, financial costs, paper use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Results: Eliminating exam table paper in our clinic resulted in modest annual cost savings of $C718 and improved staff efficiency and motivation to introduce other green office practices. In our clinic alone, this change will save 8.2 km of exam table paper, 10 trees and 148 kg of CO2e (equivalent to driving 1233 km) every year. There were no negative consequences or feedback.

Conclusions: This simple QI project demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a small change in a primary care clinic that can improve environmental sustainability with multiple co-benefits. If all family physicians in Canada eliminated exam table paper in their offices, it would result in savings of approximately 95 940 km of paper, 121 680 trees, $C8 400 600 and 3054 T CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving around the world 360 times.

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通过在初级保健实践中取消检查台纸来减少医疗浪费:一项可持续的质量改进措施。
目的:气候变化是目前人类生存面临的最大威胁。医疗保健系统为全球污染和温室气体排放做出了重大贡献。在日常工作中,从业人员在帮助减少这些影响方面发挥着重要作用。在医务室取消不必要的流程和产品(如检查台用纸)是将地球健康原则纳入实践的一个简单方法。所有质量改进(QI)项目都必须开始考虑环境影响,以全面评估变革理念:我们采用健康改进研究所的改进模式,设计了一个 "计划-实施-研究-行动 "的单一周期。我们取消了初级保健诊所的检查台纸,并测量了员工时间、洗衣、财务成本、纸张使用和二氧化碳(CO2)排放量的变化:结果:我们诊所取消了检查台纸,每年可节约 718 美元的成本,并提高了员工的工作效率和引进其他绿色办公方法的积极性。仅在我们诊所,这一改变每年就可节省 8.2 千米的检查台纸、10 棵树和 148 千克二氧化碳(相当于驾车行驶 1233 千米)。没有任何负面影响或反馈:这个简单的 QI 项目证明了在初级保健诊所实施微小改变的可行性,这种改变可以改善环境的可持续发展,并带来多重共同利益。如果加拿大的所有家庭医生都在诊室里取消考试用纸,将可节省约 95 940 公里的纸张、121 680 棵树、8 400 600 加元和 3054 吨二氧化碳排放,相当于驾车环游世界 360 次。
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来源期刊
BMJ Open Quality
BMJ Open Quality Nursing-Leadership and Management
CiteScore
2.20
自引率
0.00%
发文量
226
审稿时长
20 weeks
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