Towards sustainable healthcare in otorhinolaryngology: assessing knowledge, engagement, and opportunities for change
Abstract
Introduction: Healthcare systems contribute up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with impacts varying across medical specialties. Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) and hearing care must address their specific environmental footprint to meet emerging sustainability goals. This study assessed ORL professionals' awareness, engagement, and perceived opportunities for implementing sustainable practices. Methods: A 17-item survey was conducted from May 31 to July 25, 2024, among members of the HEARRING group, an international association of ORL experts. Results: 37 responses from 26 hospitals across 16 countries were collected. While 89.2% of participants expressed interest in sustainability, only 29.7% felt confident explaining sustainable development. Key opportunities included waste reduction (70%), policy development (25%), transportation improvements (20%), and energy efficiency (15%). Major barriers were lack of collective action (59.5%), uncertainty (35.1%), and insufficient workplace support (35.1%). Hospitals commonly engaged in recycling (83.3%), waste reduction (80.6%), and energy conservation (74.3%), but green purchasing and toxic-waste reduction were limited. Awareness of Green Teams was low (30.6%), though those familiar recognized their value. Discussion: Despite strong interest, gaps in knowledge and systemic barriers persist in ORL care. Targeted education, leadership support, and adoption of Green Teams could accelerate sustainable practices and reduce environmental impact.
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BibTeX
@article{anderson2026towards,
title = {{Towards sustainable healthcare in otorhinolaryngology: assessing knowledge, engagement, and opportunities for change}},
author = {Ilona Anderson and Aanand Acharya and Uwe Baumann and Kevin D. Brown and Miryam Calvino and Marco Caversaccio and Javier Gavilán and Sara Ghiselli and Benoît Godey and Rudolf Hagen and Abdulrahman Hagr and Emilie Heuninck and Mohan Kameswaran and Anja Kurz and Marc Lammers and Yongxin Li and Griet Mertens and Robert Mlynski and Martin O'Driscoll and Sasidharan Pulibalathingal and Christopher H. Raine and Ranjith Rajeswaran and Kristen Rak and Joachim Schmutzhard and Josef Seebacher and Piotr H. Skarzynski and Kari Smilsky and Georg M. Sprinzl and Hinrich Staecker and Timo Stöver and David Strachan and Serafima Sugarova and Paul van de Heyning and Vincent Van Rompaey and Christiane Volter and Medhat Youssef and Mario E. Zernotti and Kim Zimmerman and Christiana Kyvelidou},
journal = {Frontiers in Health Services},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/frhs.2026.1867484},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05826283v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Towards sustainable healthcare in otorhinolaryngology: assessing knowledge, engagement, and opportunities for change
AU - Ilona Anderson
AU - Aanand Acharya
AU - Uwe Baumann
AU - Kevin D. Brown
AU - Miryam Calvino
AU - Marco Caversaccio
AU - Javier Gavilán
AU - Sara Ghiselli
AU - Benoît Godey
AU - Rudolf Hagen
AU - Abdulrahman Hagr
AU - Emilie Heuninck
AU - Mohan Kameswaran
AU - Anja Kurz
AU - Marc Lammers
AU - Yongxin Li
AU - Griet Mertens
AU - Robert Mlynski
AU - Martin O'Driscoll
AU - Sasidharan Pulibalathingal
AU - Christopher H. Raine
AU - Ranjith Rajeswaran
AU - Kristen Rak
AU - Joachim Schmutzhard
AU - Josef Seebacher
AU - Piotr H. Skarzynski
AU - Kari Smilsky
AU - Georg M. Sprinzl
AU - Hinrich Staecker
AU - Timo Stöver
AU - David Strachan
AU - Serafima Sugarova
AU - Paul van de Heyning
AU - Vincent Van Rompaey
AU - Christiane Volter
AU - Medhat Youssef
AU - Mario E. Zernotti
AU - Kim Zimmerman
AU - Christiana Kyvelidou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in Health Services
DO - 10.3389/frhs.2026.1867484
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05826283v1
AB - Introduction: Healthcare systems contribute up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with impacts varying across medical specialties. Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) and hearing care must address their specific environmental footprint to meet emerging sustainability goals. This study assessed ORL professionals' awareness, engagement, and perceived opportunities for implementing sustainable practices. Methods: A 17-item survey was conducted from May 31 to July 25, 2024, among members of the HEARRING group, an international association of ORL experts. Results: 37 responses from 26 hospitals across 16 countries were collected. While 89.2% of participants expressed interest in sustainability, only 29.7% felt confident explaining sustainable development. Key opportunities included waste reduction (70%), policy development (25%), transportation improvements (20%), and energy efficiency (15%). Major barriers were lack of collective action (59.5%), uncertainty (35.1%), and insufficient workplace support (35.1%). Hospitals commonly engaged in recycling (83.3%), waste reduction (80.6%), and energy conservation (74.3%), but green purchasing and toxic-waste reduction were limited. Awareness of Green Teams was low (30.6%), though those familiar recognized their value. Discussion: Despite strong interest, gaps in knowledge and systemic barriers persist in ORL care. Targeted education, leadership support, and adoption of Green Teams could accelerate sustainable practices and reduce environmental impact.
SN - 2813-0146
SN - 2813-0146
ER -