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Associate Professor
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Department of Surgery
Stanford Medicine
Dr. Fox and her team are decreasing disposable waste by implementing “Lean and Green” Initiatives that reduce waste to landfill. The team has successfully minimized the disposable supplies included in kit components for hand surgery patients
A grassroots effort led by Dr. Paige Fox spearheaded a practice change within the OR to create a powerful example of waste reduction, which can be replicated throughout the healthcare industry worldwide. By using an evidence-based approach to quality improvement, Dr. Fox and team implemented changes to the draping protocols of minor hand surgeries. The team demonstrated that minimalist practices are safe in ORs, and they simplified the contents of surgical packs for common minor hand procedures by eliminating what was not necessary. As an example, five plastic basins were eliminated from the supply kit for a single hand surgery that is performed 500 times per year).
The project has significantly reduced plastic waste in the OR by avoiding the unnecessary sourcing of 2500 plastic bins, avoiding plastic use and reducing waste sent to landfill. The decrease in patient draping and simplification of the surgical pack has produced an estimated savings of $50,000 per year.
Notably, Dr. Fox’s project can be expanded to other procedures to help decrease the impact of the OR on the environment and has inspired multiple sustainability research and quality projects inside of Stanford Medicine since its inception.
Advisor to the Resident Safety Council
Ryan-Upson Scholar in Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford School of Medicine
Biophilic Design for Psychological and
Physiological Health Outcomes
Quality Improvement Waste Audits:
An Opportunity to Increase Environmental Stewardship in Healthcare
Building Sustainable Clinical Supply Chain,
Materials Management, and Nursing Leadership
Engaging Nurses in Qaste Sorting Quality: Liquids Reduction in Waste and Waste Sorting Guide. Training, Education, and Feedback
Supporting the Stanford Health Care Food System: Demonstrating the Benefits of
Healthy Food on Patient Outcomes
Reducing Hand Surgery’s Impact on the
Planet by Implementing Initiatives that
Decrease Disposable Waste
Leading Sustainability
Changes in Anesthesiology
Integrating the Nurses’ Voice in the Sustainable Guidelines from the Design & Construction Workgroup
Redistribution of Unused and
Clean Surgical Supplies
Returning Unused and Unopened Medical Supplies
Reduce Staff Commute by Single Occupancy Vehicle: Reductions Campaign & Commute Information
Evaluating the Emergency Department’s
Utilization of Biohazardous
(Red-Bag) Waste Bins
Mentoring and Coaching Healthcare
Professionals to Deliver
Climate Smart Healthcare
Quantifying the Pro-Environmental Impacts
of Telehealth Tobacco Treatments
Addressing the Environmental Impacts
of Orthopaedic Surgery
Standardizing Carbon Footprint
Calculations of Clinical Care Delivery
Empowering and Educating Healthcare
Professionals to Help Reduce the Environmental Footprint of Healthcare
Increasing Environmental Stewardship in
Healthcare Through Clinical Leadership
Optimizing Energy & Water Use for
Radiation Oncology Treatment
Practice Greenhealth Award Application & Reusable Product Pilot Implementation
Reducing the Carbon Footprint of the
Operating Room through Waste Reduction
