Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 389 - 399, 30.05.2025

Öykü Kara , Ezgi Seyhan Ak

https://doi.org/10.31020/mutftd.1549201

Abstract

The biggest threat to global health in the 21st century is climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, one of the biggest causes of climate change, originate 4 to 10% from healthcare services. These emissions cause negative environmental impacts by increasing the carbon footprint. Operating rooms, with their large share in energy and resource consumption, make the biggest contribution to the increase in carbon footprint in healthcare services. Transforming operating rooms into green operating rooms that adopt and implement measures against climate change significantly contributes to maintaining and improving global health, protecting natural resources, and ensuring sustainability. In order to reduce emissions from operating rooms, reusable products should replace single-use products, medical and surgical gas usage should be reduced, and the right anesthesia and sterilization methods should be selected. In addition, reducing the length of hospital stay, waste and energy consumption, and digitalizing documentation and communication are additional measures to lower emissions. In reducing the carbon footprint and ensuring sustainability, it is crucial that these practices are understood and adopted by the operating room team and that green operating rooms are created. This study aims to examine the carbon footprint in the operating room in line with the literature, practices, and sustainability to reduce the carbon footprint and to convey what needs to be known on the way to becoming a green operating room.

Keywords

Carbon footprint, Climate change, Operating room, Sustainability, Green operating room

Ameliyathanede Karbon Ayak İzi ve Sürdürülebilirlik: Yeşil Ameliyathane Olma Yolunda Bilinmesi Gerekenler

Abstract

XXI. yüzyılda küresel sağlık için en büyük tehdit iklim değişikliğidir. İklim değişikliğinin en büyük nedenlerinden biri olan sera gazı emisyonlarının %4 ila 10’u sağlık hizmetlerinden kaynaklanmaktadır. Bu emisyonlar, karbon ayak izini artırarak olumsuz çevresel etkiye neden olmaktadır. Sağlık hizmetlerinde karbon ayak izinin artışına en büyük katkıyı, enerji ve kaynak tüketimindeki büyük pay ile ameliyathaneler sağlamaktadır. Ameliyathanelerin iklim değişikliğine karşı önlemler alan ve uygulayan yeşil ameliyathanelere dönüştürülmesi küresel sağlığın korunması ve iyileştirilmesine, doğal kaynakların korunmasına ve sürdürülebilirliğin sağlanmasına önemli katkı sağlamaktadır. Ameliyathane kaynaklı emisyonları azaltmak için tek kullanımlık ürünler yerine tekrar kullanılabilir olanlar tercih edilmeli, tıbbi ve cerrahi gaz kullanımının azaltılmalı, doğru anestezi ve sterilizasyon yöntemleri seçilmelidir. Ayrıca; hastanede kalış süresinin, atıkların ve enerji tüketiminin azaltılması, dokümantasyon ve iletişimin dijitalleştirilmesi emisyonların azalmasını sağlayan diğer önlemlerdendir. Karbon ayak izinin azaltılmasında ve sürdürülebilirliğin sağlanmasında, bu uygulamaların ameliyathane ekibi tarafından anlaşılması, benimsenmesi yeşil ameliyathenelerin oluşturulması büyük öneme sahiptir. Bu çalışmanın amacı ameliyathanedeki karbon ayak izini literatür, uygulamalar ve sürdürülebilirlik doğrultusunda inceleyerek karbon ayak izini azaltmak ve yeşil ameliyathane olma yolunda bilinmesi gerekenleri aktarmaktır.

Keywords

Karbon ayak izi, İklim değişikliği, Ameliyathane, Sürdürülebilirlik, Yeşil ameliyathane

Ethical Statement

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Supporting Institution

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Thanks

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