“This would also see a reduction in the department’s overheads.”
Max has been running an educational campaign in the department to promote practice change to reduce the use of these agents. This has involved producing posters to reinforce the audit findings and inform clinicians in the department about the proposed interventions, as well as discussions at executive meetings.
Max’s hard work is paying off with the department reducing the use of the most costly and environmentally damaging agent by over 50 per cent this year. This has come with a direct cost reduction of over $47,000 and CO2 reduction equivalent of almost 400 tonnes.
“We are now seeing a cultural shift and our department is ready and eager to change – it is just the beginning for us,” he said.
“I encourage other departments across our local health district to consider what they could be doing in their own practices to reduce their footprint.”