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Pandemic , Supply Chain Challenges Drive the Importance of Reconsidering the Reusables vs . Disposables Debate
By Kelly M . Pyrek
The shortage of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) and other key medical commodities during the earlier stages of the pandemic are causing healthcare systems to rethink their place in the supply chain when it is disrupted or depleted . Contracting with vendors with adequate manufacturing capacities and suitable logistics , as well as domestic suppliers , can help shore up critical supply repositories .
In its analysis of the impact of the pandemic in general and sustainability efforts specifically , Practice Greenhealth ( 2021 ) characterized 2020 as the theoretical “ canary in the coal mine ” for the healthcare supply chain , which “ grappled with incredible upheaval as global suppliers shut down at the onset of the pandemic . The extraordinary and sudden demand for PPE combined with the overdependence on imported PPE left the U . S . healthcare sector competing with itself , fighting internally for limited stockpiles of PPE and international supply .”
Practice Greenhealth ( 2021 ) adds , “ Many hospitals were forced to ration PPE , causing protests from nurses and physicians on the front lines . Days of inventory on hand measures the time it takes for an organization to use the inventory it has in stock ; close to 1 in 10 hospitals in the 2020 data set reported having less than four days on hand of N95 respirators , the high-protection masks that clinicians utilize when treating infectious patients . Nearly 16 percent ran short on exam gloves .”
Practice Greenhealth ( 2021 ) reports that “ An embedded sustainability focus was a strategic advantage for the 72 percent of facilities that pivoted during the crisis and created procedures to reuse or extend the use of PPE in response to the pandemic . Researchers and infection preventionists scrambled to evaluate mechanisms to disinfect and reuse masks such as N95s , with 92 percent of facilities reporting they created procedures for reuse . Another snapshot is isolation gowns , with 59 percent reusing compared to 2019 when just 10 percent of facilities reported using reusable isolation gowns most of the time . A range of solutions emerged as hospitals were forced to innovate .”
When it came to creating procedures to reuse or extend the use of PPE in response to COVID-19 , 70 percent of small healthcare facilities did so , as did 76 percent of large facilities , 78 percent of academic facilities , and 66 percent of non-academic systems . Facilities that reused or extended the use of PPE did so with these products : Reusable / launderable isolation gowns , PAPRs or elastomerics , N95 masks and other pieces of PPE .
More than 70 percent of facilities reported leveraging their supply chain relationships to address the critical shortage of supplies and PPE , and at least 60 percent of facilities made or were planning to make changes to their long-term buying / supply chain strategy based on the COVID-19 pandemic .
The PPE shortage has eased somewhat for now , although new challenges could trigger additional demand as patient volumes escalate again . But the shortage still haunts healthcare systems that are re-evaluating their supply pipelines .
Bigger than the cola wars in the 1990s , the debate over reusables versus disposables has long raged in the 2000s , but the pandemic has caused healthcare facilities to re-examine the cost-savings , availability , and environmental benefits of reusables while keeping disposable items where they make the most sense from an infection prevention and control perspective . Disposable medical items have their place in healthcare , but many experts say that if a safe and effective reusable option is available , it should be considered , especially as a safeguard against shortages .
Baker , et al . ( 2020 ) observes that “ As the demand for PPE grows , hospitals have sacrificed sustainable solutions for disposable options that , although convenient , will exacerbate supply strains , financial burden , and waste . We advocate for reusable gowns to lower healthcare costs , address climate change , and improve resilience while preserving the safety of healthcare workers . Reusable gowns ’ polyester material provides comparable capacity to reduce microbial cross-transmission and liquid penetration . In addition , previous hospitals have reported a 50 percent cost reduction in gown expenditures after adopting reusable gowns ; given the current 2,000 percent price increase in isolation gowns during COVID-19 , reusable gown use will build both healthcare resilience and security from price fluctuations . Finally , with the United States ’ medical waste stream worsening , reusable isolation gowns show promising reductions in energy and water use , solid waste , and carbon footprint . The gowns
Additional Resources on Healthcare Textiles-Related Issues
Last year , Healthcare Hygiene magazine addressed healthcare textiles-related imperatives in the July 2021 and August 2021 issues ; check them out at right :