Department of Anaesthesia, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Clin Med (Lond). 2011 Feb;11(1):44-7. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.11-1-44.
Application for Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval and the conduct of medical research is paper intensive. This retrospective study examined all applications to a single REC in the south of England over one year. It estimated the mass of paper used, comparing the proportional paper consumption of different trial types and during different stages of the research process, quantifying the consumption in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2009, 68 trials were submitted to the REC. Total paper consumption for the REC process and study conduct was 176,150 sheets of A4 paper (879 kg), equivalent to an estimated 11.5 million sheets (88 tonnes, 2100 trees) a year for the U.K.; the REC process accounted for 26.4%. REC applications and the conduct of approved trials generate considerable environmental impact through paper consumption contributing to the NHS's carbon footprint. Paper use might be reduced through the implementation of digital technologies and revised research methods, namely changing attitudes in both researchers and ethics committees.
医学研究伦理委员会（REC）的申请和实施过程需要大量的文件。本回顾性研究调查了英格兰南部一个 REC 在一年内收到的所有申请。它估算了所使用的纸张数量，比较了不同试验类型和研究过程不同阶段的比例性纸张消耗，并根据二氧化碳排放量来量化消耗。2009 年，有 68 项试验提交给了 REC。REC 过程和研究实施过程的总纸张消耗为 176150 张 A4 纸（879 公斤），相当于英国每年 1150 万张（88 吨，2100 棵树）；REC 过程占 26.4%。REC 申请和已批准试验的实施通过纸张消耗对环境产生了重大影响，这导致了国民保健制度的碳足迹。通过实施数字技术和修订研究方法，例如改变研究人员和伦理委员会的态度，可能会减少纸张的使用。
