Importance of Disposable Medical Products in Today’s Era

Importance of Disposable Medical Products in Today’s Era

Disposable or single-use medical devices are the ones that can only be used once and then needs to be discarded. When it comes to offering efficient healthcare services, hygiene and sanitation are the two important factors. Despite having a multitude of sterilization methods like chemical sterilization, heat sterilization, etc, there is always a scope of contamination left behind. And in this covid era, the transmission of infection is the first thing one needs to get rid of. Hence, the only way that absolutely eliminates the chance of contamination is the use of disposable products. Almost every industry is now switching to the use of single-use products as much as possible. Therefore, it becomes an essential choice for the healthcare industry.

Benefits of Disposable Medical Supplies

Here are some of the most common benefits that can be attained with the use of disposable medical products:

Prevention of infection - Research was conducted to investigate the presence of microbes on disposable and reusable medical products. More than 30 percent of the wet swabs taken from reusable products contained pathogens while most of the wet swabs taken from the disposable products were found sterile. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Protection states that the use of disposable products improves patient safety by eliminating the risk of patient-to-patient contamination.

Saving time - The reusable products need to be cleaned and sterilized after every single use. On the other hand, single-use products are mostly ready to use and can be disposed of after use. This saves a lot of time for the medical practitioners and increases their efficiency.

Cost-cutting - Even though it may seem like an expensive choice to most practitioners, single-use products are in fact more cost-effective in the long term. This is because reusable devices have a high cost which further increases due to the need of purchasing additional accessories. Furthermore, the products require regular cleaning and maintenance. The extra cost is added for their regular sterilization.

On the other hand, single-use products are much cheaper, need the least maintenance, and do not require extensive sterilization procedures. There are no additional costs associated with the repair. Instead, they are capable of providing similar quality as that reusable products.

Impact on the environment - It may seem to many that disposable products have more detrimental effects on the environment, but this is not the case. If disposed of properly, the single-use products are environmentally-friendly. On the other hand, the waste produced in the form of chemicals and air pollutants while manufacturing reusable medical devices is much more harmful to the atmosphere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some reusable products are more heat-tolerant than disposable ones. Which is better to use?

This is true in cases of devices like dental burs, water syringe tips, air syringe tips, impression trays, evacuator tips, etc. However, reusable products are very difficult to clean. To avoid extra cost, time, and effort it is recommended to use disposable ones.

Do single-use products have special guidelines for their waste disposal?

Some of the products that come under the regulated medical waste products need specialized handling and waste management, under the guidelines provided by federal, state, and local governments. Usually, a leak-resistant biohazard bag is advised to be used for the disposal of non-sharp regulated medical waste. On the other hand, puncture-resistance containers can be used for the disposal of sharp items.

What are common disposable medical products used in hospitals?

The list varies with the specialties. However, some of the common ones include face masks, gloves, surgical gowns, suction catheters, hypodermic needles, bandages, ice packs, etc.

GWS Surgicals is one of the top medical disposable, which constantly works on producing innovative products so that the medical practitioners are able to save time and work efficiently. Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries regarding healthcare equipment.