


Sustainable Use of Single Use Endoscopes (SUSUES)
Which is more sustainable: disposable or reusable endoscopes? This question is the focus of our research within the European Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak program. Collaborating with Swedish and Danish hospitals, manufacturers, and waste management providers, our team is conducting a comparative life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of both disposable and reusable endoscopes. Other project partners further compare reusable and single-use endoscopes in terms of clinical quality, economics and resource use.
Program: Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak
Period: 01.02.2024 – 31.01.2027
Budget: 2.836.988 EUR
In 2019 the healthcare in Sweden, healthcare accounted for 3% of the country's total CO2 emissions and for 21% of the total public climate-impacting emissions[1]. Despite this, sustainability is not sufficiently prioritized in hospitals, where resources are already limited and the focus is primarily on patient care and department operations. Hospitals' efforts to improve sustainable healthcare should be supported by data in order to support actions that truly makes a difference.
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In healthcare, sustainability is about more than CO2 emissions. It also applies to other environmental impact categories, the sustainable use of personnel and financial resources, as well as a continued non-negotiable standard of care quality and patient safety.
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Healthcare and hospitals are major users of disposable equipment, which are known burdens on the climate and waste generation and does not contribute to circular consumption. However, there are several reasons for using disposable equipment in healthcare, including the fact that it is sterile. Disposable equipment eliminates risks of infection with multi-resistant bacteria, which in the worst case can have serious consequences for the patient and also entail high costs for healthcare. Disposable equipment does not need to be cleaned in a process that requires large amounts of water and soap with strong chemicals, which also has an impact on the environment.
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The Department of Surgery at Zealand University Hospital has tested the use of disposable endoscopes to perform endoscopies (camera examinations and operations). However, the norm is to use reusable endoscopes of various types for this purpose.
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Endoscopies are performed in several hospital departments where examinations of body cavities (mouth, intestines, ears, lungs, urinary tract) are needed, for example in the diagnosis of colon and rectal cancer.
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The question is whether it is overall more sustainable to use disposable endoscopes or reusable endoscopes?
To investigate this, the project has selected the focus of gastroscopes, where these will be compared according to four parameters:​
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Sustainability
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A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be carried out to map the environmental impact before, during and after performing endoscopy with either disposable or reusable gastroscopes. The analysis will provide a picture of the cradle-to-grave environmental impact, including the climate impact, that the gastroscopes cause with a focus on the difference between the two.
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Clinical quality
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Patient safety always weighs most heavily. Therefore, the two endoscope types are compared based on a large number of endoscopies performed in both Sweden and Denmark. Data is collected from the endoscopes from a quality and patient safety perspective in order to be able to determine and document the clinical quality of the respective disposable and reusable endoscopes.
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Economics
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The project will also highlight the use of resources – both financial and human – to contribute to the efficient use of scarce resources available in healthcare, and identify where resources can be reduced for the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals.
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User perspective
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By observing workflows and procedures when performing endoscopy and handling endoscopes, and through interviews with healthcare professionals, the project will highlight opportunities and barriers to the use of single-use and reusable endoscopes from a user perspective.
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[1] Hälso- och sjukvården påverkar klimatet
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For more information, contact theresa@circularactiontools.com