2 minute read
Greening the OR
from CHF Winter 2022
by MediaEdge
Hamilton hospital practices responsible healthcare through single-use medical device reprocessing
By Tom Brown
As one of Canada’s leading teaching healthcare facilities, McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Ont., supports a highly engaged team of clinicians who are determined to look for waste reduction solutions in the operating room with a particular focus on single-use medical devices.
In an effort to drive green cost savings throughout the perioperative program, MUMC pursued a robust reprocessing program to move from recycling to reprocessing across all operating rooms, substantially reducing the site’s carbon footprint. Reprocessing of single-use devices is the practice of inspecting, cleaning, function testing, sterilizing and packaging so that they can be clinically and safely used again. Partnering with a reprocessing provider is essential to ensure the process is Health Canada approved.
THE PROCESS
The process begins with the collection of devices in containers that are placed in convenient usage areas. At MUMC, collection containers were set up in each operating room to maximize collections.
“We went full steam ahead and did all the operating rooms,” says Beverly Barbato, clinical manager of the operating room, procedure rooms and medical device reprocessing department at MUMC. “(Physicians) were very engaged at our site and they made the implementation very successful and turnkey.”
Collection containers are regularly shipped from the hospital to the reprocessing facility, where contents are sorted to isolate reprocessable devices from those that cannot be reprocessed. Devices are individually dissembled, inspected and cleaned by highly trained staff. Each device is subdivided into its core components. Each piece is then independently inspected and approved to be rebuilt. Once rebuilt, each device goes through a robust series of both manual and automated inspection, individual sterilization and functional testing as part of the validated Health Canada process. Once complete, all devices are packaged, labelled and shipped back to the hospital.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
By utilizing a reprocessing program, a facility can divert large amounts of medical waste from being discarded into nearby landfills and significantly reduce their carbon footprint. Collection programs are customized to maximize collections and waste diversion through the collaborative engagement of staff and the hospital’s commitment to drive green cost savings by using reprocessed devices as their primary device of choice.
COST SAVINGS
The team at MUMC formed new habits to include device collection because they understood the cost-effectiveness. Using reprocessed devices at a significant savings offered an opportunity to reallocate funds to other needed equipment and supplies.
“The surgeons were engaged (because) they understand the cost-effectiveness and what it means to them,” says Barbato.
After implementation in the operating room, MUMC’s senior leadership looked at this as a corporate savings initiative and a benefit to expand across all sites and departments. Originally implemented as a green initiative, the budgetary savings could not be ignored.
“The motivation, I think, initially started more from the green perspective, as well as some financial responsibility, but corporate looked at it from a budgetary savings perspective and grew it organically,” says Trevor Olson, manager of inventory and projects, perioperative services, at MUMC.
