Towards sustainable healthcare in otorhinolaryngology: assessing knowledge, engagement, and opportunities for change

Healthcare systems contribute up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with impacts varying across medical specialties. Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) and hearing care must address their specific environmental footprint to meet emerging sustainability goals. This study assessed ORL professionals' awareness, engagement, and perceived opportunities for implementing sustainable practices.

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No actionable change to clinical care for patients; however, clinic owners and department leaders in ENT/audiology can use these findings to benchmark their sustainability knowledge and identify practical areas for greener practice.

As healthcare systems face growing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, audiology and ENT are largely unmapped in sustainability research — this survey provides a baseline for the field.

1. 01Healthcare contributes up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions; ENT/audiology's share is understudied.
2. 02Survey assessed sustainability knowledge, current engagement, and perceived opportunities among ENT/hearing care professionals.
3. 03Identifies gaps between awareness and action in hearing healthcare sustainability.
4. 04Provides a foundation for developing specialty-specific green practice guidelines.
5. 05Published in Frontiers in Health Services (2026).

PMID

42539609

DOI

10.3389/frhs.2026.1867484.

Journal

Frontiers in Health Services

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Otorhinolaryngology and hearing care professionals surveyed on sustainability knowledge and practice

Intervention

Survey of sustainability knowledge, engagement, and perceived opportunities for change