Drôme-Ardèche private hospital (26)
No more polluting gases
In 2022, theDrôme-Ardèche private hospital has put an end to the use of polluting gases in anaesthesia. Thanks to a powerful communication campaign, the move went like clockwork.
"Originally, it was a young anesthetist, armed with the recommendations of the SFAR, who asked us to stop using polluting gases," explains Christophe Nambot, pharmacist and CSR referent at the facility. "We thought it was a good idea, and since all the anaesthetists seemed to be in favour, we started working on the subject in the SD committee. And from the outset, the CSR referent integrated the communications manager into the CSR COPIL. "Communication on these subjects is so vital that if there's one message I'd like to get across, it's this: involve the communications manager in your CSR projects!"
1540 times more impactful thanCO2
[ Carbon footprint of hospitals in France (2023) ]
The figures speak for themselves: the carbon footprint of hospitals in France is estimated at 8%, with drugs alone accounting for 35% of this 8%. " It's difficult to estimate the share of anaesthetic gases more precisely, but we do know that it is very significant, since the global warming power of Desflurane is 1540 times that ofCO2, Sevoflurane 130 times and nitrous oxide 298 times...".
With the hospital performing between 26,000 and 28,000 surgical procedures per year, Desflurane consumption is estimated at 51 l or kg, giving a carbon footprint of 130 T ofCO2, equivalent to that of... 14 French people (9T per individual). As for nitrous oxide, the hospital's annual consumption is estimated at 2,240 l or kg, i.e. a carbon footprint of 668T, equivalent to that of 74 French people!
[ Carbon footprint of pollutant gases at drôme-ardèche private hospital ]
"Just by turning off these two gases, we save the carbon footprint of 89 people, or about a quarter of our facility's employees," explains Christophe Nambot. "It's in this more meaningful and interesting way that we've chosen to communicate, because RMP means nothing to most people, even in the medical field."
On a typical day, an anesthetist using Desflurane has the same carbon footprint as a 2,000 km car journey!
Snowball effect
In 2023, the first news appeared in the hospital newspaper. The editors explain that over the past few weeks, HPDA anesthetists have given up using Desflurane and have just decided to stop using nitrous oxide, adapting their practices accordingly. They're pushing the metaphorical envelope, pointing out that "on a standard day, an anesthetist using Desflurane has the same carbon footprint as driving 2000 km!" It couldn't be clearer!
Once the project was completed and the two gases abandoned, the information was widely relayed on the establishment's social networks, Facebook and Linkedin. Externally, "thanks to the work of the communications manager", the anesthetist behind the project was interviewed in the Dauphiné Libéré newspaper. "It had a snowball effect. I was invited to the Sanofi forum in December to talk about the subject", says the CSR referent, who invites his colleagues to get involved: "Many have already made the switch, others are thinking about it, so go for it, it's relatively easy and it pays off!
Beware the illusion of the obvious
"In our business, we often have our heads in the sand," stresses Christophe Nambot. "We make decisions, thinking that everyone else is following what's going on. But most of the time, nobody knows what we're doing. This is what we in management call the 'evidence illusion'." For the CSR consultant, it is therefore imperative to communicate on the CSR actions implemented. "It's recognition of the work of the professionals involved, and encourages them to continue. And from an external point of view, it's a virtuous showcase for the establishment. "Our patients are increasingly sensitive to these sustainable development actions."■