Clinical impacts and solutions Sustainable business and solutions

Sustainable Anaesthetics

This course offers an overview of the complex relationship between human health, climate change and the wider environmental crisis. We describe how the health system is both vulnerable to and contributing to these issues, examining the specific contribution of anaesthetics to carbon emissions and other environmental impacts.

The course then explores (using real world case studies) how to develop a more sustainable approach to the practice of anaesthetics and the operating department, and adapt to climate change, whilst maintaining or improving quality of care.

We also consider the leadership role healthcare staff (at any level) can play in providing healthcare for all within planetary boundaries. As healthcare professionals we cannot stand on the sidelines; we have a duty of care to our patients and communities. There are many important ways to make a difference and this course is a starting point.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Describe the risks the global environmental crisis presents to human health and healthcare systems.
Describe the contribution of the health sector, and anaesthetics in particular, to the global environmental crisis.
Identify carbon hotspots and understand the basic principles of carbon footprinting and sustainability in quality improvement.
Explain how sustainability can help to address existing challenges in the healthcare system.
Apply the principles of sustainability to anaesthetic services and plan a sustainability project in your workplace.