Medical disposables are products used by doctors and other healthcare professionals in various medical procedures. They are usually designed for one-time use and disposed of subsequently. Such disposable products include gloves, needles, blood bags, masks, dressings, heart valves, and other tools and accessories.
Disposable products have several benefits, which makes them essential to carry out surgical procedures efficiently and hygienically. Disposables reduce the chances of cross contamination and are one of the most-preferred and safest choices for treatments and procedures. By virtue of the fact that they are disposable, there is no need for elaborate sterilization, which makes them highly practical and favored by both hospitals and doctors. Let us explore some of the most popular medical disposables that are playing a vital role in patient safety.
No surgical procedure can or should be conducted by a medical professional without wearing latex gloves. They are essential for maintaining a minimum standard of hygiene and keeping surfaces free from germs and bacterial contamination. Further, they act as a shield to protect both the doctor and the patient from exchange of harmful fluids, viruses and infections.
The development of the disposable syringe has revolutionized the field of medicine. Earlier, doctors used one needle for multiple patients, and had to sterilize it regularly and carefully. Negligence in this matter used to have dire consequences such as spreading various potentially deadly infections and even fatal results. Today, disposable syringes are cost effective, since they are made of plastic, come in various sizes according to the needs of the doctors, and are extremely cost effective. They can be immediately discarded after use, which eliminates the risk of cross contamination and the spread of diseases from one patient to another.
Blood bags are disposable, transparent poly vinyl chloride (PVC) containers essential for the process of efficient collection, storage and transport of blood. The rounded shape of the blood bag along with a mix of anticoagulants ensure that the blood does not coagulate in the process of separation and transfer. Blood collection tubes are disposable tubes, and are extremely convenient as they enable doctors and other medical professionals to hygienically collect blood from patients for diagnostic purposes.
The recent pandemic has been a testament to the necessity of masks in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Surgical masks prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and other contaminants in the air by acting as a physical barrier over the respiratory tract openings of the people using them.
Surgical dressings are disposables such as bandages, which are used to cover injuries and open wounds. They are very useful in speeding up the healing process and acting as a barrier protecting the open wound from pathogens causing infections that are found in the external environment.
Umbilical catheters are of two kinds. An umbilical artery catheter (UAC) can be used to take blood from a baby as well as monitor the baby’s blood pressure, without having to repeatedly use needles, usually when the baby has issues relating to blood pressure or breathing problems. An umbilical venous catheter (UVC) allows doctors to give medicine and other fluids to the infant without having to use an IV line, which would need to be frequently replaced and thus runs the risk of contamination. These catheters are placed in the blood vessels in the umbilical cord.
Besides product-specific benefits, there are also certain general benefits to disposable products that drive medical professionals, clinics and hospitals to prefer using them over certain reusable alternatives.
From these, undoubtedly the most significant one is the greater guarantee of patient safety. Reusable products always come with an inherent risk of cross contamination. Despite the fact that several standardized sterilization methods exist, such as chemical and heat sterilization, these methods are not 100% reliable and always carry the risk of human error, which can have grave consequences for the patient’s health. On a comparative note, disposable products are safer since they are only used one time for one patient, thus eliminating the possibility of contact with another person. Further, high quality medical disposables are made of sterility certified materials, which makes them safe to use for almost every medical procedure.
Another reason why disposables are favored by medical practitioners is the increased level of efficiency. In the case of reusable products, one needs to invest time and skill to ensure that they are clean and fit for use over and over again, which is all eliminated in the use of disposables.
In the long run, disposables also prove to be the more cost-efficient alternative, since one no longer needs to invest in maintenance procedures, products for sterilization and cleaning of tools, or hiring employees to carry out this work. Further, any costs resulting from a possible case of cross contamination such as fines, legal battles or compensation are also less likely to be incurred.
In light of a rising concern regarding the environmental impact of disposables, several companies have taken the initiative to produce these items from sustainable or biodegradable materials that make them easy to discard and compost, or recycle once they have been disposed of with proper care and precaution. Thus, they are often more sustainable than reusable products, which require far more resources in their production and maintenance processes.
It would be fair to conclude that for all healthcare stakeholders, including patients, doctors, caregivers, hospitals & healthcare providers, there are reasons to favor medical disposables, for it is necessary to prioritize safety, hygiene, and efficiency, in any medical procedure.
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