STERILE PROCESSING
process for recycling and repurposing the remaining materials. The popular press and scientific literature are full of examples of the repurposing of basic mate- rials. Why not make this a requirement for purchasing medical devices? Healthcare purchasers could influence sustainabil- ity beyond the doors of their institutions with such a requirement. The cost savings from ‘optimized’ reusable plastic devices would certainly pay for the adjustments in purchasing and use that would arise with this new approach.”
Richard Radford, CEO, Cenorin LLC
“One of the primary reasons for sin- gle-use accessories is patient safety. The amazing advancements in develop- ing plastic accessories was to improve diagnostic and therapeutic abilities and reduce cost. In the cases where reus- able devices are utilized, the use of an optimized enzymatic detergent is of the utmost importance. Cleaning with an enzymatic detergent removes organic soils such as blood, mucus, feces or tis- sue from instrument surfaces, lowering the risk of healthcare-acquired infections not only for patients, but also for health- care personnel.”
Ron Banach, Director, Clinical Training, Ruhof Healthcare
“Environmental impact is something every industry has been grappling with more and more over recent decades; the healthcare industry is certainly no differ- ent. Reducing – or even eliminating – the use of single-use devices is a clear, sub- stantial opportunity to lessen the health- care industry’s environmental impact and become more sustainable. The obvious challenge here is ensuring that patient safety remains the top priority – a health- care facility with great environmental and sustainability policies is terrific, but if they can’t ensure the safety of their patients, none of it matters.
“As it relates to achieving a higher
degree of environmental conscientious- ness via the reduction of single-use devices, the key is to implement meth- ods, processes and solutions that enable proper reprocessing of reusable devices. Tackling concerns around compliance, visual inspection, resource usage, and overall quality of reprocessed devices can help departments ensure patient safety, maintain compliance with IFUs [instructions for use], reduce unneces- sary expenditures on resources, hopefully save some money by eliminating what are effectively consumables, and ultimately lessen their environmental impact. In an
hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • November 2022 35
ideal world (with investments made to help departments achieve these goals), becoming more environmentally friendly should be a win-win-win for the hospital, the environment, and most importantly, the patient.”
Dan Gusanders, President, Pure Processing “Olympus has aggressive goals to design
and manage environmentally friendly solutions for single-use endoscopes.
We are exploring partnerships and new ways of thinking about and actioning sustainability. “Simultaneously, Olympus has added
carbon neutrality to its goals and is at work enabling a circular economy as an additional ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiative. This ESG goal will apply for all Olympus manufacturing and development sites to achieve the global target of Carbon neutrality by 2030.”
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