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
- Look at 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 is this 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
Verpleegkundig handelen
Non-sterile bladder catheter insertion
Since July 2024, bladder catheterisation may be performed using the new ‘no-touch technique’. In this method, non-sterile gloves are used, and the genital area is cleaned with tap water. This more sustainable approach requires fewer sterile materials and saves time, as the procedure can be performed by a single nurse. With this intervention, nurses put the new guideline into practice.
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.
Nursing practice
Reducing maintenance IV flow rate
A maintenance IV with NaCl 0.9% at a flow rate of 5 ml/hour is often used to keep the IV line open for patients not receiving intravenous medication. Reducing the pump rate to 2 ml/hour lowers NaCl 0.9% use, allowing for smaller infusion bags or less frequent bag replacement. This is more sustainable and reduces material consumption.
