O72 Survey of the endoscopy workforce’s perception of sustainability

Le résumé fourni par la source

Introduction The NHS is one of the largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK, with endoscopy ranking the third highest in waste generation. We conducted a survey to identify the endoscopy workforce’s perception of sustainability and perceived barriers to achieving environmentally sustainable endoscopy practice. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study utilised an online questionnaire distributed to endoscopy units across the UK through trainee research networks, the Joint Advisory Group on endoscopy, BSG Live 2022 and the Green Endoscopy Centre for Sustainable Healthcare Network. All endoscopy staff were eligible to participate, and the survey was open between May and October 2022. We collected demographic data for each participant and explored the following topics using a 5-point Likert scale: 1. Perceived importance of sustainability in endoscopy • Significant factors contributing to waste generation in endoscopy • Barriers to sustainability in endoscopy Results 202 participants responded to the survey (101 female), with 195 of these located across the twelve regions of the UK and another seven international participants. The majority were registrars (31%), followed by consultants (28%), endoscopy nurses (15%), clinical endoscopists (8%), administrative staff (7%) and healthcare assistants (5%). Most participants (83%) were highly concerned about climate change, with 71% recognising the significant carbon footprint generation by endoscopy. On univariable logistic regression analysis, participants with >10 years of endoscopy experience were significantly more concerned about climate change than those with <10 years (OR 2.621, CI 1.122–6.125, p=0.026). Lack of environmental consideration (77%), personal protective equipment and decontamination (76%), and packaging of single-use items were considered the most significant factors impacting waste generation in endoscopy. Participants ranked poor access to recyclable equipment (55%), poor awareness (52%) and poor attitudes (47%) as the main barriers to sustainable change (figure 1), whilst only a third of participants would inform others if they notice wasting of resources. An overwhelming majority felt that the BSG should prioritise sustainability highly (84%) and support the use of reprocessed equipment (84%). Conclusions We report the first survey exploring perceptions of sustainability across the endoscopy workforce. We identified a strong consensus supporting the BSG to prioritise sustainability, significant factors contributing to waste generation, and the barriers to sustainability in endoscopy.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.