ABSTRACT
The Therapeutic Devices Branch of Australia has convened an expert panel to survey the reuse practices in a group of Australian hospitals. The reuse of devices labeled for single use by hospitals continues to be a controversial topic. Although many hospitals reprocess or reuse single-use devices, few if any have scientifically proven the safety and efficacy of their practice. The hospital, as the owner of the device, is the contractor for the service and is responsible for ensuring that the process is acceptable. Reusing a single-use device may increase the potential of risk to the patient and hospital liability. The volume of single-use products entering the perioperative arena has dramatically increased, driving the cost of many procedures the reimbursement allocation. Quality is meeting the expectations of the person using the product and is often synonymous with reliability. The reprocessor must provide evidence that the standard of quality has been achieved.
