Sustainability interventions in nursing wards
Monitoring parameters
Reusable transport bag for laboratory samples
Nurses collect various samples for diagnostic testing. For transport to the laboratory, different single-use containers such as cups, bags, or kidney trays are currently used and then discarded. A reusable transport container is a more sustainable alternative.
Intervention
Transport samples from departments to labs using a reusable transport bag. Some hospitals currently reuse a plastic zip-lock bag, which is reused until visibly contaminated or damaged.
Environmental impact
Measured in CO₂ emissions, based on the reuse of the transport bag.
Implementation approach
Refer to 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 is considered implemented when nursing units in the hospital have switched to reusable transport bags for transporting samples to the lab, and the difference in CO₂-equivalent (kg) has been calculated. If another reusable transport product is chosen in this intervention, it will count as an implemented intervention. Please contact the program team for options to calculate the CO₂-equivalent in kg.
How this is measured?
The environmental impact of this intervention can be determined using purchasing data for the number of disposable transport products used for the intervention, see the procedure for measuring an intervention using purchasing data.
Resources
Click here for the report on waste research conducted at Erasmus MC, Maastricht UMC, Leiden University Medical Center, and Radboudumc. This report includes the recommendation for a reusable version of the white disposable transport cup.
Resultaten
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View our other interventions
Nursing interventions
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.
Nursing interventions
Using a single IV system across all departments
When hospital departments use different IV systems, IV lines may need to be replaced when a patient is transferred because the systems are not compatible. This leads to unnecessary waste, takes additional time, and can cause discomfort for the patient. A single, standardised IV system prevents this.
