Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
Monitoring parameters
Reusable pulse oximeters
Measuring a patient’s oxygen saturation is an essential part of patient care. Due to their high consumption in hospitals, disposable pulse oximeters have a considerable environmental impact.
Intervention
Replace disposable pulse oximeters with reusable pulse oximeters.
Exclusion: Neonatal departments due to the different sizes of pulse oximeters used for neonates.
Exclusion: Pediatric departments due to the different sizes of pulse oximeters used for small children and neonates.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reduction in the number of disposable pulse oximeters and the reuse of pulse oximeters.
Implementation approach
Look at the approach for implementing a (reusable) product and consult the step-by-step guide for more information on setting goals, implementation, and evaluation.
When is it implemented?
This intervention was implemented when nursing wards in the hospital switched to reusable pulse oximeters and the difference in kg of CO2 equivalent has been calculated.
How is this measured?
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using the purchase data for the number of disposable pulse oximeters, see method of measuring intervention with purchasing data.
Resources
click here for a fact sheet about the savings that can be achieved when switching to reusable pulse oximeters.
Footnotes
- Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers. (June 2024). National inventory of UMCs medical disposables.
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
ADL
Reducing absorbent mat use
Disposable absorbent mats are designed to absorb large amounts of body fluids from patients. In practice, they are also used for other purposes, such as wiping up spilled liquids on the floor. In many cases, a towel or collection tray will suffice. Because of their high consumption in hospitals, absorbent mats have a significant environmental impact1.
Nursing practice
Replacing IV lines every seven days
IV lines, the part of the infusion system that remains outside the body and connects to the intravenous catheter, are currently replaced every four days to prevent infections. Research shows that replacing IV systems every seven days does not increase the risk of infection. This saves materials and time for nurses.
