University of Melbourne Associate Professor McGain, an anaesthetist and intensive care physician, is the university's first Associate Dean of Sustainable Healthcare and a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia.
“I think that’s been important, having a group of doctors who are like-minded in wanting to make change,” he said.
He has received a grant from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council for sustainable healthcare, which he will use to transform hospital experiences through five major projects:
- Exploring the use of oral drugs in operating theatres.
- Evaluating the frequency of air changes in operating theatres.
- Improving the efficiency of equipment sterilizers and replacing disposable gowns with reusable ones.
- Assessing the usability of expired single-use equipment.
- Creating a sustainability toolkit for doctors.