Promoting behavioural change by educating anaesthetists about the environmental impact of inhalational anaesthetic agents: A systematic review

Brieana C. Nolan, Michael J. Hoskins, Bríd Phillips, Kiah L. Evans

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Of the total carbon footprint of Australia, 7% is attributed to healthcare. In the UK, inhalational agents make up 5% of the healthcare carbon footprint. This systematic review aims to determine which methods of education about the environmental impact of inhalational anaesthetic agents can be utilised to promote behaviour change, reducing the anaesthetic-related carbon footprint. This systematic review sourced records from CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, JBI and MEDLINE from 1970 to March 2022. The search identified 589 records, 13 of which met eligibility criteria after the screening process, in which 10 of these records were conference abstracts. Education curricula focused on inhalational agent choice (69%), lowering the fresh gas flow during maintenance anaesthesia (69%), encouraging alternatives such as total intravenous anaesthesia (23%) and/or switching off the gas on transfer (8%). The most common teaching techniques utilised in education curricula were didactic lectures (85%), visual prompts (54%), emails (46%), and conversation forums (31%). All but one study reported a positive relationship between teaching sessions and behavioural change resulting in lower inhalational anaesthetic use by participants and their organisations, reducing healthcare-associated emissions. This systematic review has demonstrated that single education sessions as well as multi-focused, multimodal education curricula on the topic of greener anaesthesia can be beneficial in promoting behavioural change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)356-368
Number of pages13
JournalAnaesthesia and Intensive Care
Volume52
Issue number6
Early online date20 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Promoting behavioural change by educating anaesthetists about the environmental impact of inhalational anaesthetic agents: A systematic review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this