Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room

The biggest threat to global health in the 21st century is climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, one of the biggest causes of climate change, originate 4 to 10% from healthcare services. These emissions cause negative environmental impacts by increasing the carbon footprint. Operating rooms, wit...

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Main Authors: Ezgi Seyhan Ak, Öykü Kara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mersin University 2025-05-01
Series:Lokman Hekim Dergisi
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Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4210540
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author Ezgi Seyhan Ak
Öykü Kara
author_facet Ezgi Seyhan Ak
Öykü Kara
author_sort Ezgi Seyhan Ak
collection DOAJ
description The biggest threat to global health in the 21st century is climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, one of the biggest causes of climate change, originate 4 to 10% from healthcare services. These emissions cause negative environmental impacts by increasing the carbon footprint. Operating rooms, with their large share in energy and resource consumption, make the biggest contribution to the increase in carbon footprint in healthcare services. Transforming operating rooms into green operating rooms that adopt and implement measures against climate change significantly contributes to maintaining and improving global health, protecting natural resources, and ensuring sustainability. In order to reduce emissions from operating rooms, reusable products should replace single-use products, medical and surgical gas usage should be reduced, and the right anesthesia and sterilization methods should be selected. In addition, reducing the length of hospital stay, waste and energy consumption, and digitalizing documentation and communication are additional measures to lower emissions. In reducing the carbon footprint and ensuring sustainability, it is crucial that these practices are understood and adopted by the operating room team and that green operating rooms are created. This study aims to examine the carbon footprint in the operating room in line with the literature, practices, and sustainability to reduce the carbon footprint and to convey what needs to be known on the way to becoming a green operating room.
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spelling doaj-art-afb57a1ce3e24f83ae116e0250ed641c2025-07-29T08:05:44ZengMersin UniversityLokman Hekim Dergisi1309-80042025-05-0115238939910.31020/mutftd.1549201311Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating RoomEzgi Seyhan Ak0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3679-539XÖykü Kara1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3125-9632ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY-CERRAHPASA, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE FACULTY OF NURSINGISTANBUL UNIVERSITY-CERRAHPASA, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE FACULTY OF NURSINGThe biggest threat to global health in the 21st century is climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, one of the biggest causes of climate change, originate 4 to 10% from healthcare services. These emissions cause negative environmental impacts by increasing the carbon footprint. Operating rooms, with their large share in energy and resource consumption, make the biggest contribution to the increase in carbon footprint in healthcare services. Transforming operating rooms into green operating rooms that adopt and implement measures against climate change significantly contributes to maintaining and improving global health, protecting natural resources, and ensuring sustainability. In order to reduce emissions from operating rooms, reusable products should replace single-use products, medical and surgical gas usage should be reduced, and the right anesthesia and sterilization methods should be selected. In addition, reducing the length of hospital stay, waste and energy consumption, and digitalizing documentation and communication are additional measures to lower emissions. In reducing the carbon footprint and ensuring sustainability, it is crucial that these practices are understood and adopted by the operating room team and that green operating rooms are created. This study aims to examine the carbon footprint in the operating room in line with the literature, practices, and sustainability to reduce the carbon footprint and to convey what needs to be known on the way to becoming a green operating room.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4210540carbon footprintclimate changeoperating roomsustainabilitygreen operating roomkarbon ayak izii̇klim değişikliğiameliyathanesürdürülebilirlikyeşil ameliyathane
spellingShingle Ezgi Seyhan Ak
Öykü Kara
Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
Lokman Hekim Dergisi
carbon footprint
climate change
operating room
sustainability
green operating room
karbon ayak izi
i̇klim değişikliği
ameliyathane
sürdürülebilirlik
yeşil ameliyathane
title Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
title_full Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
title_fullStr Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
title_full_unstemmed Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
title_short Carbon Footprint and Sustainability in The Operating Room: What to Know on the Road to Becoming a Green Operating Room
title_sort carbon footprint and sustainability in the operating room what to know on the road to becoming a green operating room
topic carbon footprint
climate change
operating room
sustainability
green operating room
karbon ayak izi
i̇klim değişikliği
ameliyathane
sürdürülebilirlik
yeşil ameliyathane
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4210540
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