Less Waste is More Health

Monday, July 21, 2025, 12:00 AM - Thursday, July 20, 2028, 11:59 PM, On Demand

This educational activity explores sustainability in healthcare with a focus on strategies to reduce environmental impact across key medical specialties. Presented by Dr. Praveen Kalra, the session provides a data-driven overview of how clinical practices contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and medical waste, while offering actionable insights for more sustainable healthcare delivery. Throughout the presentation, Dr. Kalra maintains that quality of care need not be compromised in the pursuit of environmental responsibility. He encourages healthcare providers to adopt sustainable alternatives, such as reusables when safe, minimize equipment idle time, and integrate artificial intelligence to streamline diagnostics and scheduling. This activity equips clinicians with knowledge and tools to critically assess their environmental impact and make informed choices to promote sustainability without compromising patient outcomes.

Release Date: July 21, 2025

Expiration Date: July 20, 2028

Estimated time to complete:~1 hour

Registration Fee: free

Click the Begin tab to launch this course.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.75 hours), ANCC Contact Hours (0.75 hours), Non-Physician Participation Credit (0.75 hours)

1. Quantify the carbon emissions associated with imaging, endoscopy, critical care, and cardiac surgery procedures.
2. Evaluate trade-offs between single-use and reusable medical equipment from both clinical and environmental perspectives.
3. Identify strategies to reduce energy waste and emissions in radiology and critical care settings.
4. Compare international differences in surgical carbon footprints and assess how systemic practices influence sustainability.
5. Implement practical approaches—such as resource optimization and AI integration—to improve sustainability while maintaining quality care.

In support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

Credit Designation 
American Medical Association (AMA) 
Stanford Medicine designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 
Stanford Medicine designates this Enduring Material activity for a maximum of 0.75 ANCC contact hours.  

Accessibility Statement
 Stanford University School of Medicine is committed to ensuring that its programs, services, goods and facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities as specified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.  If you have needs that require visual, auditory, cognitive, or mobility accommodations, including dietary concerns, please contact the CME office.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency
The planners and speakers of this CME activity have been encouraged to address cultural issues relevant to their topic area for the purpose of complying with California Assembly Bill 1195. Moreover, the Stanford University School of Medicine Multicultural Health Portal contains many useful cultural and linguistic competency tools including culture guides, language access information and pertinent state and federal laws.  You are encouraged to visit the Multicultural Health Portal: https://laneguides.stanford.edu/multicultural-health

References/Bibliography
View a list of references and additional resources here.

The data and insights presented were drawn from CleanMed conferences held between 2016 and 2023. Visit https://practicegreenhealth.org/resources to view more resources.

For CME general questions, please contact 
     Email: [email protected]

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Stanford Medicine adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.

The content of this activity is not related to products or the business lines of an ACCME-defined ineligible company. Hence, there are no relevant financial relationships with an ACCME-defined ineligible company for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity.