Is your hospital green?

[velardern]

I would like to know if you work in a facility that has undertaken green efforts and how is it going? Are you recycling your compression sleeves, pulse oximeters, and single use devices in the OR?

I need to in-service staff and not sure that I can get across the importance of recycling/cost avoidance and just trying to get an initial assessment from you all as to what's going on in your facilities and how it's going.

[CaregiverGrace]

I think the whole green movement is a lot of baloney. That being said, I do recycle and have made an effort in my facility to get used printer paper into a recycle bin. In general though a lot of this stuff is overstated by both the media and some in the scientific community in order to get their grant money.

[CRNA1982]

Not sure about compression stockings but I can say that all of our anesthesia stuff (Pulse oximeters, BP cuffs etc are all non-disposable; for the most part). My pet peeve is the large sharps bins that we have. I only place glass vials and needles in them. Any plastic syringes that are not visibly soiled, I throw in the trash can. And on an average day I use probably around 150 syringes.... It drives me nuts when I look into the large sharps bin and find stuff that does not belong. (Like towels, IVF bags, CVL trays, and my favorite... 20 cc syringes full of Propofol.....Squirt the Propofol into a trash can along with the syringe and discard of the the needle in the sharps bin Those bins are weighed and discarded of according to how much they weigh and it is expensive.

[kcmylorn]

Yes, the CEO is rolling in it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tablefor9, RN]

1. We recycle all those devices.

2. Recycling bins for paper, cans, plastic in all break rooms & waiting areas.

3. Lights dimmed @ hs

but...

we're still killing trees by the forest full printing interim reports out of our "electronic" charting, 4 x daily.

Don't get me started.

[Colorado1]

Our pulse ox probes, SCD sleeves, and BP cuffs all go back to a company to be reworked. We have several recycle wastebaskets around the floor for cans, non-patient-sensitive paper, etc. Many of our lights (supply closets, locker room, etc) have motion activation sensors for on/off. The cafeteria has "green" plates, flatwear, etc. BUT up in patient care areas we still have styrofoam which drives me crazy.

[Orange Tree]

...not at all. The repetitive printing of information that can be easily pulled up on a computer baffles me, too.

[NurseStephRN]

My hospital is moving in that direction. They gave us all reusable water bottles to eliminate all the disposable cup use, our W-2 forms and pay stubs (if you get direct deposit) are available electronically, and have set up recycling stations. We are also encouraged to decrease printing of lab results, etc as they are available via electronic charting. Our cafeteria has also switched over to green materials.

SCD sleeves, pulse ox stickies and other medical materials are not reusable at all, nor are we encouraged to reuse them. We are encouraged to bring into our patient's rooms only the materials we need, instead of leaving stuff in the rooms that will eventually get thrown out when the patient is discharged.

[RN0820]

My hospital has been recycling cardboard/packaging materials, lab chemicals, and flourecent bulbs for a while. They have started recycling pulse ox probs, batteries on tele units, phone books and paper. We have recycling bins for glass and cans, and have done away with disposable sharps containers and now have reusable ones. We also have motion activated lighting, electronic pay stubs, and paperless billing. They are starting a community pharmaceutical disposal program to reduce drugs being flushed into the sewer system. Hope this helps :)