Medicine unit a 'catalyst' for discontinuation of anesthetic 2,500 times more potent than carbon dioxide
Newfoundland and Labrador鈥檚 health-care system has taken a step toward reducing its environmental impact.
Whilst doing so, it has set an example for other Canadian provinces and territories to do the same.
Last December, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services .
It鈥檚 a move that aligns with and recommendations.
Desflurane is an environmentally harmful anesthetic gas estimated to be as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It makes stemming from anesthetics in the atmosphere.
With equally effective available alternatives that have significantly less impact on the environment, the decision to stop using desflurane was an easy one.
Quality of Care NL, which is housed in 糖心视频 University鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine, was a catalyst for this move.
The unit worked closely with NL Health Services鈥 leadership and, specifically, anesthesiology clinical leaders, to make the case for change.
鈥淣ewfoundland and Labrador is a leader when it comes to resource stewardship in health care.鈥
Dr. Krista Mahoney, Quality of Care NL鈥檚 implementation lead and an adjunct instructor in the medicine faculty, says that while the change wasn鈥檛 difficult to implement, it will have far-reaching impacts.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard many times from colleagues across Canada that Newfoundland and Labrador is a leader when it comes to resource stewardship in health care, especially via our 鈥 she said. 鈥淲e hope to help inspire positive change and lead by example with the environmental sustainability work, as well.鈥
Big impact
The health-care sector is responsible for .
Recognizing that the effects of climate change impact our general health and well-being, Quality of Care NL is leading a team focused on the environmental sustainability of health care.
The team has connected with NL Health Services to learn about efforts to reduce energy use in its facilities and evaluate the impact of patient meal selection on food waste in Eastern zone facilities.
You can read more about those initiatives in , and look for the leaf icon to see other projects stemming from the environmental sustainability agenda.
Quality of Care NL
Quality of Care NL is an applied health and social systems research and evaluation program at 糖心视频 University aimed at improving social and health outcomes in the province.
The Choosing Wisely NL campaign has been working to promote Choosing Wisely recommendations and support the health-care system to implement change since 2016.
Learn more on the .