Doctors say Australian hospitals are creating huge amounts of unnecessary waste and risking equipment shortages through single-use metalware. Scalpels, tweezers, suture scissors, forceps and clamps are among the items being thrown away in increasing numbers due to a shift in cost management and hygiene practices.
“This has occurred as a slow spread across the country, when places realised that single-use items’ price point is pretty good compared to reusing,” intensivist doctor Matthew Anstey said. Metalware is generally classed as being single-use if the steel is not stainless, or if it was manufactured with a rough finish that makes it more likely to rust. The research by Australian doctor Forbes McGain, which was published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, found the cost for an Australian hospital with six operating rooms would be approximately $10,000 per annum more for single-use laryngoscope blades alone.
A spokeswoman for SA Health said the range of single-use medical devices (SUDs) had been expanded in recent years. “Using SUDs may reduce the risk of health-care acquired infection for patients arising from human error in cleaning and sterilisation, with some devices extremely difficult to clean adequately,” she said. “Reprocessing of commonly used items such as suture scissors and scalpels is also time-consuming and can delay timely patient care.”
Source: ABC
Finnish site 
Global site