Designing a ward inventory for a sustainable healthcare. Framework for healthcare providers of configurations among disposable medical devices, clinical procedures, and medical equipment in the Neonatology department.

During the pandemic emergency, the need for a critical review of the healthcare sector has been accentuated, particularly regarding the environmental impact caused by the use of single-use, non-recyclable, and non-biodegradable products. The aim of this doctoral research is to investigate and reconsider the flow of single-use products, mainly plastic, generated by local hospital units, with a focus on the Neonatology department. Currently, there are still few sustainable research and actions implemented in one of the departments that most produces single-use waste in the healthcare sector, where the use of single-use products has a significant impact on costs and the environment. The research path aims to conduct a thorough contextual analysis in the field, to review, understand, and analyze the dynamics within the "Salute Lazio" Regional Health System, specifically within the Neonatology departments of Umberto I Polyclinic in Rome. The industrial doctoral research goal is to generate, implement, and communicate new sustainable approaches for the management, reformulation, collection, and disposal of medical single-use items, with the aim of creating a zero-impact circular economy model. New sustainable approaches will be applied both in a corporate context, regarding the production, communication, and configuration of packaging and consumables, and in a healthcare context, such as Neonatology departments. This can be achieved through data collection, field surveys, and multidisciplinary tables on the use and end-of-life management of products, to share ideas and achievable challenges with department personnel. The methodology employed in the research encompasses systemic and circular design approaches, which aim to consider the interconnection between the various elements of a system and their relationships, to create sustainable and resilient solutions. The intermediate results of the research demonstrate how the development of user guidelines leads to better identification of single-use medical devices related to the use of electromedical equipment and clinical procedures and improved management and utilization of resources in the department. The research outputs serve as the starting point for subsequent department visits aimed at defining the criticalities within the entire care delivery system. This process will contribute to the development of design methodologies and greater attention to a practical sustainability model within the Neonatology department system.