Environmental Sustainability & Anesthesia in Ontario
Urgent action is needed to avert a climate catastrophe. Ontario’s Anesthesiologists supports all sustainable practices that fulfill the dual goals of providing high-quality patient care and protecting our planet's health.
To help our members better meet those goals, our Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG) has collected and created the following resources to help green anesthesia care in Ontario. Learn more about the ESWG and how you can join this motivated group of volunteers.
Attend our upcoming webinar on Thursday, September 10, led by Dr. Hui Yu (Betty) Zhang. Register here for free.
Ditching Desflurane
Eliminating the use of desflurane is one of the most impactful changes we can make to green our profession. Discover how more and more centres are “ditching the des” and how your hospital can join the club.
Nix the Nitrous
Emissions from N₂O central supply systems contribute to greenhouse gas releases and unnecessary expenses. Explore the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care’s comprehensive resources for assessing, deactivating, and optimizing supply systems.
Reusable Laryngeal Mask Airways
Reduce waste, carbon emissions and costs without compromising patient safety with reusable LMAs. Our infographic explains how and why your department should make this move.
Reusable and Extended Use Anesthesia Breathing Circuits
Implementing reusable anesthesia breathing circuits is a feasible way to reduce waste. Be sure to also review the Extended & Reusable Anesthesia Breathing Circuit Reference document.
Sustainability Programs
We’re in the process of updating this section, which includes Stryker Sustainability Solutions' recycling and reclamation initiative that reprocesses single-use medical devices for reuse.
Sustainability Primer & Other Resources
Explore our extensive collection of helpful links, videos and more, including St. Joseph’s Health Centre's Sustainability primer. This simple guide is designed for residents and locums and is adaptable for your centre's practices.
We’re working on more resources!
Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group is hard at work on expanding our collection of resources. Please let us know what else we should include.
Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group
We believe anesthesiologists are accountable to not only our patients, but also to our wider communities. Since 2022, OA has sponsored the Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG), which is dedicated to protecting the health of our communities by promoting anesthetic practices that minimize our specialty's impact on the environment. The ESWG also focuses on advocacy through engagement with politicians, the OMA and regulating bodies.
A Few members of the ESWG, photo Taken at the 2024 Ontario Anesthesia Meeting with our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Tom Pierce
We believe that with a coordinated effort, our members can effectively implement evidence-based practices that green health care while delivering safe, high-quality care.
Collaboration
The OA Working Group is proud to team up with like-minded organizations, such as:
Contact the ESWG
Are you interested in learning more about environmentally responsible perioperative clinical practices or joining our working group? Please complete the form below or contact us at info@ontariosanesthesiologists.ca. Thank you!