The Pros And Cons of Reusable And Disposable Medical Instruments

Determining which is better between reusable and disposable medical instruments has been a long time healthcare issue. This article provides the pros and cons of using reusable hospital and home medical equipment and supplies over disposable one and vice versa.

Hospital and home medical equipment and supplies are either classified as reusable or disposable. Reusable medical equipment and supplies, as the name implies, are those that can be used again by doctors to patients after they are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. Disposable medical instruments and supplies, on the other hand, are those instruments and supplies designed only for single use. They have to be thrown right away after finishing a procedure.

Which hospital and home medical equipment and supplies are better to use - the reusable or the disposable one? This has been a longtime healthcare issue. So to help you decide which is better, this article lay out the pros and cons of using reusable medical instruments over single use/disposable ones and vice versa, with the following factors:

Safety - In some instances, it is better to use disposable over reusable medical instruments and vice versa. But when it comes to preventing infection, many health care professionals would agree that disposable instruments are safer for the patients and staff because these products are already sterilized the moment they are purchased in medical equipment sales stores. They are made for one use only thus; cross-contamination is absolutely prevented. Additionally, most disposable hospital and home healthcare instruments are rust-free.

Durability - Reusable medical instruments are usually made of hard metal components that can be used over the months and years while most disposable medical instruments and supplies are constructed using high-grade plastics or rubber and meant only for single use. When it comes to durability, reusable instruments used by medical specialists for in/out patient services are definitely more durable.

Cost - In terms of price, reusable medical instruments are usually pricey because they often contain expensive components. You do not need to buy them often because they can be cleaned and sterilized in preparation for the next procedure. Disposable medical instruments, however, are cheaper but you have to throw them after use and have to purchase a new product whenever you need them. Moreover, you don't need to spend for costly repairs on disposable instruments.

Maintenance - Some reusable hospital and home medical equipment may be too small and requires more time for cleaning and sterilization process. Aside from that, because of their tininess, small remnants of tissue from previous operation might not be completely removed. With disposable home and hospital medical instruments on the other hand, you can always ensure that they are 100% contaminants-free even without doing sterilization procedures.

The pros and cons of reusable and disposable medical instruments are already stated. It is now time for you to determine on which type of instruments you can save much.