Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: Previous studies report that the healthcare industry significantly contributes to environmental degradation and intensive care units (ICUs) are a major generator of waste (Barbariol, 2023). Many ICU staff and support staff personnels have expressed frustration over extra supplies being brought into the room and later discarded. The “GreenICU” aims to reduce the million-pound contribution of medical waste to our landfills.
Method: "GreenICU” focused on four key areas. First, an ICU green team was formed, consisting of PCAs and nurses from day and night shifts. Forming a team is crucial for gathering input, making recommendations, and ensuring the sustainability of interventions (Trent, 2023). Secondly, supply servers were customized to meet patient’s needs. Supply servers are carts with drawers placed outside each room containing patient care supplies. Following a staff survey, 11 supply servers were removed and 4 were left specifically for open heart patients and rooms furthest away from the supply room. Third, items were labeled by price (green for $0-$2.99, yellow for $3-$15, and red for above $15) to encourage mindful usage. Lastly, two designated areas were used to place supplies. If unsure whether the item was needed, it was placed outside the room. Supplies inside the room were stored in a bin.
To measure sustainability, data were collected before and after the intervention by auditing unopened supplies from patients’ rooms after they leave; excluding isolation rooms. Items were documented on an Excel spreadsheet, separating those items that can be returned to par (reflecting total unit savings).
Results: Before “GreenICU”, $5094.15 was wasted; of that amount, $2680.21 was returned to par. After the intervention, $2197.02 was wasted, and $930.03 returned. The waste percentage saved for the unit from December 2023 to May 2024 was approximately 56.9%. “GreenICU” leads to a substantial impact in lowering healthcare expenses and promoting sustainability.
Conclusion: The “GreenICU” project focused on all aspects of the reduce, reuse and recycle model. These methods were effective in minimizing medical supply wastage in the ICU. The interventions brought awareness to ICU staff regarding the excessive waste of supplies and the environmental impact. Minimizing supply wastage can promote planetary health and reduce healthcare expenses.
Notes
References:
Barbariol, F., Baid, H. Introduction to an intensive care recycling program. Intensive Care Med 49, 327–329 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-023-06983-3
Bein, T., McGain, F. Climate responsibilities in intensive care medicine—let’s go green! An introduction to a new series in Intensive Care Medicine. Intensive Care Med 49, 62–64 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-022-06930-8
Corbin, L., Hoff, H., Smith, A., Owens, C., Weisinger, K., & Philipsborn, R. (2022). A 24-hour waste audit of the neuro ICU during the covid-19 pandemic and opportunities for diversion. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 8, 100154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100154
McGain, F., Muret, J., Lawson, C., & Sherman, J. D. (2020). Environmental sustainability in anesthesia and critical care. British Journal of Anesthesia, 125(5), 680–692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.06.055
Trent, L., Law, J., & Grimaldi, D. (2023). Create intensive care green teams, there is no time to waste. Intensive Care Medicine, 49(4), 440–443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-023-07015-w
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Sustainable Development Goals, Public and Community Health, Interprofessional Initiatives
Recommended Citation
Nair, Aswathy; Victorio, Givenchy; Basnet, Durga; and Pinky, Shani, "Supply Waste Reduction Workgroup: A Go Green Initiative" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 128.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/128
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Supply Waste Reduction Workgroup: A Go Green Initiative
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Background: Previous studies report that the healthcare industry significantly contributes to environmental degradation and intensive care units (ICUs) are a major generator of waste (Barbariol, 2023). Many ICU staff and support staff personnels have expressed frustration over extra supplies being brought into the room and later discarded. The “GreenICU” aims to reduce the million-pound contribution of medical waste to our landfills.
Method: "GreenICU” focused on four key areas. First, an ICU green team was formed, consisting of PCAs and nurses from day and night shifts. Forming a team is crucial for gathering input, making recommendations, and ensuring the sustainability of interventions (Trent, 2023). Secondly, supply servers were customized to meet patient’s needs. Supply servers are carts with drawers placed outside each room containing patient care supplies. Following a staff survey, 11 supply servers were removed and 4 were left specifically for open heart patients and rooms furthest away from the supply room. Third, items were labeled by price (green for $0-$2.99, yellow for $3-$15, and red for above $15) to encourage mindful usage. Lastly, two designated areas were used to place supplies. If unsure whether the item was needed, it was placed outside the room. Supplies inside the room were stored in a bin.
To measure sustainability, data were collected before and after the intervention by auditing unopened supplies from patients’ rooms after they leave; excluding isolation rooms. Items were documented on an Excel spreadsheet, separating those items that can be returned to par (reflecting total unit savings).
Results: Before “GreenICU”, $5094.15 was wasted; of that amount, $2680.21 was returned to par. After the intervention, $2197.02 was wasted, and $930.03 returned. The waste percentage saved for the unit from December 2023 to May 2024 was approximately 56.9%. “GreenICU” leads to a substantial impact in lowering healthcare expenses and promoting sustainability.
Conclusion: The “GreenICU” project focused on all aspects of the reduce, reuse and recycle model. These methods were effective in minimizing medical supply wastage in the ICU. The interventions brought awareness to ICU staff regarding the excessive waste of supplies and the environmental impact. Minimizing supply wastage can promote planetary health and reduce healthcare expenses.
Description
The “GreenICU” program aims to explore various strategies for reducing medical waste in the ICU, including supply management, data collection, and data analysis. The learning objective is to understand how to reduce wastage by bringing awareness to staff. By modifying existing practices, this program positively impacts the future of healthcare waste pollution.