Join Operation Clean Up on April 22

TRA2SH (Trainee-led Research and Audit in Anaesthesia for Sustainability in Healthcare) is a collaborative network created by trainees for trainees to inform, inspire and influence others to create a cleaner future. Join us to tackle theatre waste together!

• Refuse desflurane
• Reduce disposable absorbent pads (bluey, greenie, incopad)
• Reuse drug trays
• Recycle paper & cardboard.

To coincide with Earth Day on Thursday April 22nd, Operation Clean Up is being hosted across theatre departments in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It is TRA2SH’s annual anaesthesia sustainability event which aims to encourage theatre departments to review current evidence for sustainable practices in anaesthesia, reflect on local practices, identify areas for improvement, and find local solutions. TRA2SH has put a bundle together based on evidence that is already out there but still lacks large scale implementation.

The theme for this year is:

• Refuse desflurane
• Reduce disposable absorbent pads (bluey, greenie, incopad)
• Reuse drug trays
• Recycle paper & cardboard

Anaesthetic trainees are encouraged to use their scholar role to critically appraise articles, present to their departments, conduct audits and feedback to their departments. Sustainable solutions and implementation involve the entire theatre team and Operation Clean Up is aiming to foster cross-disciplinary team work. TRA2SH is also collecting quantitative and qualitative data regarding departmental and individual practices and attitudes.

By creating a centralised secure database in affiliation with The University of Melbourne, departments will be able to track their progress and compare their “bundle” performance relative to other anonymised hospitals. TRA2SH hopes that Operation Clean Up provides the motivation for trainees and departments to continue advocacy, education, reflection and quality improvement throughout the year. There are plenty of achievable opportunities in day-to-day practice to improve healthcare sustainability using a bottom-up approach whilst upholding excellent patient care.

ANZCA’s sustainability library and sustainability audit tool are valuable resources to find more peer-reviewed journal articles and audit ideas. TRA2SH believes that small changes can make big differences when we work together. As an example, if one less disposable absorbent underpad (Bluey) were used per surgical procedure, TRA2SH estimates that over 2 million Blueys could be saved from landfill in Australia alone (plus avoid the cradle-to-grave pollution footprint).

Be part of the solution, join the conservation and visit www.tra2sh.org or follow TRA2SH on twitter @tra2sh1