Whitaker M W
Hosp Mater Manage Q. 1992 Aug;14(1):1-10.
We clearly have the means to examine and reduce the amounts and types of disposable medical waste that health care institutions are creating. Although there may be special circumstances that prevent specific hospitals, or specific departments within a hospital, from converting to alternative products, much improvement can still be made. There are several strong examples of hospitals across the United States with programs that have drastically cut the amount of waste they are generating. They have eliminated disposable cups and eating utensils from the cafeterias, shifted to reusable underpads and surgical linens, and established recycling programs for paper and cardboard. These few cases are not enough. We cannot be lulled into believing that these exceptional efforts on the part of a few institutions are all that is needed. We should remember that if Mother Nature had intended for us to pat ourselves on the back, our hinges would be different. What is needed is a clear statement from the health care industry of its responsibility to society with regard to managing its waste. Leadership begins with action. If the health care industry does not take steps to regulate its disposable waste, the government undoubtedly will. We do not need to wait for our supervisors or administrators to fashion credos for us. All staff members know there are numerous ways that they can affect the amount of waste produced at their hospitals. They can also begin to affect the attitudes of those working around them. The consequences of inaction are simply too great. As fictional as half-empty grocery stores may have sounded at the beginning of this article, the problems that we face with waste disposal are certainly as grim. If we wait for our state and federal governments to solve the problems, it may be too late; and if it is too late, the solutions that they develop will certainly be extreme. We have the technology and the ability to cut dramatically the amount of disposable waste that health care generates. In practically every case, the lower-waste options also save the institution money. It is time that we honestly challenged our need for today's convenience at the expense of tomorrow's quality of life.
我们显然有办法检查并减少医疗机构产生的一次性医疗废物的数量和种类。尽管可能存在特殊情况，阻止特定医院或医院内的特定科室改用替代产品，但仍有很大的改进空间。美国有几家医院有成效显著的项目，大幅减少了它们产生的废物量，这些都是有力的例子。它们已从自助餐厅取消了一次性杯子和餐具，改用可重复使用的护理垫和手术床单，并建立了纸张和硬纸板回收项目。但仅有这几个案例是不够的。我们不能因此就认为少数机构的这些非凡努力就足够了。我们应该记住，如果大自然有意让我们自我满足，我们的关节构造就会不同。医疗行业需要明确表明其在管理废物方面对社会的责任。领导力始于行动。如果医疗行业不采取措施管理其一次性废物，政府无疑会这么做。我们无需等待上级或管理人员为我们制定信条。所有工作人员都知道有很多方法可以影响他们所在医院产生的废物量。他们还可以开始影响周围同事的态度。不作为的后果实在太严重了。尽管本文开头提到的半空杂货店听起来可能有些夸张，但我们在废物处理方面面临的问题肯定同样严峻。如果我们等待州政府和联邦政府来解决这些问题，可能就太晚了；而如果为时已晚，他们制定的解决方案肯定会很极端。我们有技术和能力大幅减少医疗保健产生的一次性废物量。在几乎所有情况下，采用低废物选项还能为机构节省资金。现在是时候诚实地审视我们为了当下的便利而牺牲未来生活质量的需求了。
