Sustainability in endourology: Greening the stone theatre and beyond

Abstract

Objective: Climate change has been described as the ‘biggest global health threat of the 21st century’ and NHS England has set out its plans to develop a ‘net zero’ NHS by 2040. This is a target of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by healthcare in the United Kingdom, currently estimated at 4% of the UK total carbon emissions. We need to consider as a community of endourologists how we can make sustainable choices. Methods: Recommendations for sustainable surgery in the United Kingdom have been considered and applied to the field of Endourology. There is a relatively little published evidence on this evolving area. Results: Areas for making sustainable choices in Endourology can broadly be divided into ‘Prevention and Education’, ‘Pre-operative’, ‘Planning’, ‘Operative’ and ‘After Care’. While reducing waste in theatre is clearly important, there are many other decisions we can make with our patients to create a lower carbon journey. Conclusion: Sustainability in Endourology strongly parallels GIRFT recommendations and the concept of realistic medicine. We should all make personal and professional choices to reduce our carbon footprint with the shared goal of Net zero in 2040. Level of evidence: 4