Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
General resources
Reducing medication cup use
Medication is often administered several times a day, and a new medication cup is used for each dose. This generates a large amount of waste and is often unnecessary, as a medication cup can frequently be reused for the same patient.
Intervention
Reduce the use of medication cups by assigning one cup per patient and reusing it for multiple doses.
Exclusion: Reuse of medication cups is not suitable for liquids or crushed medication.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reduction in the number of medication cups used.
Implementation approach
- Refer to the implementation approach for reducing the use of a product.
- In the implementation plan, describe alternative locations for medication cups and encourage awareness by storing the cups inside the medication trolley (out of sight). Place a note at the original location stating: “Medication cups are available in the patient room.”
- Consult the step-by-step guide for more information on setting goals, implementation, and evaluation.
When is it implemented?
This intervention is considered implemented when the set target has been achieved, meaning fewer medication cups are used compared to before implementation, and the difference in CO₂-equivalent (kg) has been calculated.
How this is measured?
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using purchasing data on the number of medication cups. See the section Measuring an intervention using purchasing data for more information.
Note: Other interventions may influence the results of this one. If the Paper medication cup intervention is implemented at the same time, it may affect the purchasing data. Implement the Paper medication cup intervention at a different time to measure the effect accurately.
Resources
- Click here for a hospital tour from St Jansdal showing how medication cups are reused in patient rooms (see ‘tab Patiëntenkamer – medicijncupjes').
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
ADL
Reducing linen use
Linen is used for many different purposes. Reducing linen use is not only better for the environment but also benefits patients by helping to prevent pressure ulcers. The Beter Laten list1 advises: “Avoid or limit unnecessary layers underneath the patient, such as linen, positioning materials, cellulose mats, incontinence materials, clothing, and bedding.”
General resources
Paper medication cup
Medication is often administered several times a day in plastic cups, which generates a large amount of waste. Paper medication cups suitable for liquids (containing less than 5% plastic) offer a more sustainable alternative. In some cases, however, a plastic cup remains necessary, for example when crushing medication.
Monitoring parameters
Reducing blood testing
Blood tests are an essential part of patient care, but they also generate waste and take time. Nurses play an important role at the start of this process and, together with physicians and nurse specialists, can explore ways to reduce the number of blood tests performed.
