Sustainability in Healthcare

Perception of Sustainability in Healthcare

Sustainability has only recently gained attention in the healthcare sector. Instead, there was a continuous development of using more and more disposable items and increasing material consumption. This was driven by the desire for absolute safety and the corresponding offer from industry, as well as the trend towards outsourcing. Ecological approaches on the one hand and waste costs on the other have led to a slow shift in thinking in recent years.

Our Position

We try to see the handling of raw materials critically. We question the sense and nonsense of measures, especially the use of chemicals and disposable items. Specifically, we refrain from using disposable gloves whenever protection is not relevant (see below). The decision to use disposable materials is not always easy. A simple thin paper layer for the treatment bed, for example, can also be an advantage over fabric blankets that need to be disinfected and washed after each patient contact. Similarly, the use of disposable metal instruments for small wound care compared to the storage and processing of multiple reusable instruments.

Example Gloves

During my training, it was still the creed that gloves should always be worn at the patient. The patient is, after all, a so-called "biological working substance" according to the Technical Rule for Biological Working Substances (TRBA) 250 Biological Working Substances in Healthcare and Social Welfare, which employees should be protected from. What's more obvious than wearing gloves ...

Over the years, we have learned in the healthcare sector that gloves do not provide absolute protection (10% defect rate, which increases with longer wear time), but instead damage the skin by accumulating moisture underneath, thereby providing optimal breeding conditions for bacteria on the skin. Furthermore, they have never provided protection for the patient, as simple disposable gloves do not have significantly less microbial load than the doctor's hand. Today, the recommendation is to wear gloves only when there is a high risk of infection through contact with potentially infectious bodily fluids. In all other cases, we know that regular hand washing and even more regular hand disinfection of the staff is better for both staff and patients. We implement this accordingly.

Example Water for Wound Irrigation

Spilling contaminated wounds with tap water is not inferior to cleaning with wound disinfectants or sterile irrigation solutions (provided that the water quality is high in developed countries). In fact, it seems to have an advantage to be able to clean the wound with plenty of water. The data is provided by a Cochrane Database Review. You can therefore use it with a clear conscience at home. Hygienists recommend using sterile filters at the sinks - this was not the case in the studies. Since tap water is usually available and children are less afraid of it, we consider it necessary to use it for this purpose as well.