The carbon footprint of cataract surgery pathways in England: an observational study using administrative data.

Autor: van-Hove M; Getting It Right First Time programme, NHS England, London, UK.; Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK., Begum H; Greener NHS National Programme, NHS England, London, UK., Phull M; Urology Department, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford, UK., Bhargava J; Getting It Right First Time programme, NHS England, London, UK., Chang L; Getting It Right First Time programme, NHS England, London, UK., Briggs TWR; Getting It Right First Time programme, NHS England, London, UK.; Department of Surgery, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, London, UK., Gray WK; Getting It Right First Time programme, NHS England, London, UK. william.gray5@nhs.net.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Eye (London, England) [Eye (Lond)] 2024 Dec; Vol. 38 (18), pp. 3525-3531. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 19.
DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-03356-y
Abstrakt: Background: The National Health Service (NHS) in England has set a target to be net zero for carbon emissions by 2045. The aim of this study was to investigate the estimated difference between the carbon footprint of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) High Volume Low Complexity (HVLC) pathway for cataract surgery and current practice.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of administrative data. Data were extracted from the Hospital Episode Statistics database for all elective cataract surgery procedures conducted in England from 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022.
Results: The England average carbon footprint was 100.0 kgCO 2 e (ranging from 74.8 kgCO 2 e - 128.0 kgCO 2 e depending on Integrated Care Board). Had all Integrated Care Boards adhered to the GIRFT HVLC pathway, then 17.5 kilotonsCO 2 e would have been saved in 2021-22. The main limitation of our study is that only key elements of the cataract surgery pathway were included in the analysis.
Conclusions: Even in a standardised healthcare pathway such as cataract surgery and within a publicly funded national healthcare system, significant differences in practice exist. With this paper we have demonstrated that tackling this unwarranted variation and adhering to the GIRFT HVLC pathway where possible has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of cataract surgery.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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