Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
  • 2 Department of Medicine, University of Malaya Medical Centre and Specialist Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, SingHealth, Hong Kong, China
  • 4 Department of Gastroenterology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
  • 5 Institute of Digestive Disease, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2024 Jan;39(1):133-140.
PMID: 37967819 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.16409

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Greenhouse gas emissions are the fundamental cause of global warming, with CO2 being the most contributive. Carbon reduction has been widely advocated to mitigate the climate crisis. The endoscopy unit is the third highest waste-generating department in a hospital. The awareness and acceptance of the practice of green endoscopy among healthcare workers is unclear.

METHOD: An online survey was conducted over a 5-week period from July to August 2023 in the Asia-Pacific region, which targeted endoscopists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals of the endoscopy unit. The primary outcome was the agreement to adopt green endoscopy. The secondary outcomes included views on sustainable practices, factors associated with increased acceptance of green endoscopy, the acceptance of different carbon reduction measures, and the perceived barriers to implementation.

RESULTS: A total of 259 valid responses were received. Overall, 79.5% of participants agreed to incorporate green endoscopy into their practice. Nevertheless, existing green policies were only reported by 12.7% of respondents. The level of understanding of green endoscopy is the only significant factor associated with its acceptance (odds ratio 3.10, P 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.