Environmental Improvement for Medical Facilities that Provide Used SUDs

Abstract

Raw materials used in the remanufactured single-use devices (SUDs) are obtained from SUDs that have previously been used at medical facilities in Japan. Thus, the system for remanufactured SUDs relies on medical facilities collecting and providing used SUDs. Herein, I describe the collection of used SUDs from the perspective of an operating department manager at a medical facility, namely Osaka Rosai Hospital, where I was previously employed. We predicted how many and what type of devices would be used, and in which operating room, and then placed boxes for collection. The decision on where to place the boxes in the operating room was made by the nurses and other front-line staff who actually put the used SUDs into the boxes. We clarified the timing of when to put the used SUDs into the boxes in the rooms and also who was responsible for putting used SUDs into the boxes after operations were completed. The boxes placed for used SUDs could not be transported directly out of the hospital, so they were packed and loaded onto special trucks for transport. The most important thing to consider when implementing a similar system and process is to minimize the nurses’ workload and make the process as easy as possible to understand. The entire process design from collection to transport was also a challenge, as was informing and educating the nurses. In addition, as the collected used SUDs are not garbage but instead raw materials, it is necessary to make sure that the used SUDs are handled with care.