ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S27 ESTRO 2024 possible through efficient resource use, waste minimization, reduced use of primary resources, and closed-loop product systems. In the healthcare sector, the traditional linear economic model is a significant concern for both health and the environment. According to the 2019 "HEALTH CARE’S CLIMATE FOOTPRINT" report by Healthcare Without Harm, the health sector's climate footprint is equivalent to 4.4% of global net emissions. If the healthcare sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of GHGs globally. While the healthcare sector's mission is to protect and promote health, it significantly contributes to the climate crisis, so, it has an essential role to play in its resolution. Health administrations and hospital institutions, as essential pillars in healthcare provision, also have the responsibility to develop policies addressing these challenges. The pursuit of environmental sustainability in hospitals should be a priority, both in hospital administration and at the management level of each service. Services play a crucial role in this path, focusing on finding solutions that promote environmental sustainability. Through an extensive systematic literature review, our team identified areas of action to achieve environmental sustainability at the hospital level. These areas of action include energy and water consumption optimization, waste management, healthcare professionals' and patients' transports, hospital building design, food optimization, procurement, green team creation and staff behaviour. Research elsewhere also identified some of the areas of action that apply specifically to the Radiology and Radiotherapy Services. These researchers found areas of action that overlap with our findings, such as energy consumption, data storage practices, clinical consumables, waste management practices, and healthcare professionals' and patients' transportation. Through a survey we identified that CE practices currently existing across European RT departments fit well with the areas of action identified in the literature review. All these key areas are important, but staff behaviour is fundamental to assure implementation of CE practices and environmental sustainability in hospitals. This survey also found that staff are very aware of waste management, but were less informed about the other key areas. Therefore, it is crucial to develop the green skills of all radiotherapy professionals. According to OCDE, “green skills” had been defined as “the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society”. The findings of the survey align well with several reports about green skills education that have been published by the European Commission and United Nation among others. These reports also show the importance and the future need for the skills and knowledge tackling climate change and sustainable development as well as to ensure the transition to a more low-carbon and greener economy. Invited Speaker

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Collaborative research initiatives: Unleashing the potential of RTTs worldwide

Jenna Dean

ONJ Cancer Wellness and Research Centre, Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg, Australia

Abstract: