A UK-wide study to describe resource consumption and waste management practices in skin surgery including Mohs micrographic surgery
Shearman, Harriet Yap, Soo Min Zhao, Andrew Passby, Lauren Barrett, Amy Nikookam, Yasmin Stoneham, Sophie Myint, Nan Akir Phillips, Derrick Dalal, Fatima
Shearman, Harriet
Yap, Soo Min
Zhao, Andrew
Passby, Lauren
Barrett, Amy
Nikookam, Yasmin
Stoneham, Sophie
Myint, Nan Akir
Phillips, Derrick
Dalal, Fatima
Abstract
Background: There is a lack of national guidance specifying how skin surgery, including Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), should be conducted, leading to a degree of heterogeneity in the set-up of skin surgery services and how skin surgeries are performed.
Objectives: To provide the first UK-wide cross-sectional study reporting real-world data on the set-up and waste management practices of skin surgery, including MMS.
Methods: A UK-wide service evaluation study was conducted between 1 March 2022 and 30 June 2022 using a standardized data collection pro forma. Twelve participating sites from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales provided data from 115 skin surgery lists involving 495 patients and 547 skin surgery procedures between 1 March 2022 and 30 June 2022.
Results: Mean total weight of nonsharps skin surgery waste was 0.52 kg per procedure (0.39 kg clinical waste, 0.05 kg general waste and 0.08 kg recycling waste). Data from a single site using disposable surgical instruments reported a mean of only 0.25 kg of sharps waste per procedure. The recycling rate ranged between 0% and 44% across the cohort with a mean recycling rate of 16%.
Conclusions: We advocate that staff transition to the British Society of Dermatological Surgery 2022 sustainability guidance, which made wide-ranging recommendations to facilitate staff to transition to sustainable practices in skin surgery.
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Date
2023-08-25
Type
Article
Subject
Dermatology, Health services. Management
Citation
Shearman H, Yap SM, Zhao A, Passby L, Barrett A, Nikookam Y, Stoneham S, Myint NA, Phillips D, Dalal F, Wylie G, Costley M, Odedra S, Phillips M, Abbott RA, Wernham A, Tso S; Dermatology Sustainability UK Group. A UK-wide study to describe resource consumption and waste management practices in skin surgery including Mohs micrographic surgery. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2023 Aug 25;48(9):1024-1029.
Journal / Source Title
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology
DOI
10.1093/ced/llad184
PMID
37192414
Publisher
Oxford University Press