A Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable and Disposable Surgical Caps.

Introduction: Surgical cap attire plays an important role in creating a safe and sterile environment in procedural suites, thus the choice of reusable versus disposable caps has become an issue of much debate. Given the lack of evidence for differences in surgical site infection (SSI) risk between the two, selecting the cap option with a lower carbon footprint may reduce the environmental impact of surgical procedures. However, many institutions continue to recommend the use of disposable bouffant caps.

The Carbon Footprint of Residency Interview Travel.

Background: Over the last decade, medical student residency applicants have shown a substantial increase in the number of interviews attended, which is associated with a significant increase in travel. The carbon footprint associated with residency interviews has not been well documented prior to this investigation, and is a critical issue related to climate health.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to document the carbon footprint associated with travel to residency interviews of the applicants from a single institution.

A comparative carbon footprint analysis of disposable and reusable vaginal specula.

Background: Healthcare systems in the United States have increasingly turned toward the use of disposable medical equipment in an attempt to save time, lower costs, and reduce the transmission of infections. However, the use of disposable instruments is associated with increased solid waste production and may have negative impacts on the environment, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to inform this discussion; we applied life cycle assessment methods to evaluate the carbon footprints of 3 vaginal specula: a single-use acrylic model and 2 reusable stainless steel models.