Durable medical equipment reuse and recycling: uncovering hidden opportunities for reducing medical waste

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate hospital practices for the management of unwanted durable medical equipment (DME) and to understand how health care providers conceived of their role in preventing DME waste. In order to fully identify opportunities for DME waste prevention, we began this study at the point where health care providers prescribed patients DME.Methods: We conducted a basic interpretive qualitative study in a large regional health care system in the United States employing semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Study informants included clinicians, physicians and others involved in prescribing patients DME as well as those who played a role in environmentally sustainable health care. Informants were targeted at the patient and health care systems levels. Data were analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.Results: Analysis of data revealed some of the hospitals were implementing sustainability practices to reduce their output of DME waste such as breaking down unwanted DME into its core components for recycling. In addition, one hospital was operating a DME reuse programme for low-income uninsured and underinsured patients. While a concern for the environment seems to have been embedded in the day-to-day operations of these hospitals, we found that health care providers were not educating patients on options for DME reuse and recycling.Conclusion: These findings may point to a disconnect between practices to prevent DME waste at a health care systems level and clinical decision-making for patient care and merits additional investigation.Implications for rehabilitationDME reuse and recycling is likely to have environmental as well as economic and social benefits.The management of DME waste should include rehabilitation providers.Rehabilitation providers should be trained in environmentally sustainable health care practices.Rehabilitation providers should educate patients on how to sustainably manage their unwanted DME.