Benefits of Disposable Medical Supplies Versus Reusable

When deciding whether to utilize disposable or reusable medical supplies at your practice, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each option. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know. 

 

Patient Safety

As a healthcare or dental professional, your priority is making sure your patients are safe. Unfortunately, utilizing reusable medical supplies opens your patients up to the risk of infections caused by cross-contamination if proper sterilization practices are not followed. While the strict cleaning procedures required for these types of supplies can minimize the risk, it’s always important to account for human error which is unavoidable in every industry. Compared to single-use supplies, most of which are pre-packed or sterilized, reusable devices carry a much higher risk of causing infections. When it comes to protecting the health and safety of your patients, choosing between disposable and reusable is simple: Disposable medical supplies win almost every time. 

 

Environmental Impact

The most prominent drawback of utilizing single-use supplies is that it contributes to the growing supply of biomedical waste. Every year, it’s estimated that hospitals alone generate 5 million tons of biohazard waste. Medical waste is a real problem across the globe, as we all need to take steps to minimize our environmental impact. At Richmond Dental and Medical, we pride ourselves on protecting the planet at every step along the way in our business process. We set stringent company goals on electricity and water consumption. As a further step to reduce our carbon footprint, we also utilize sustainably grown cotton to create our quality, medical products. When you purchase our medical disposables, you can rest easy knowing that in addition to keeping your patients safe, you’re protecting the earth. 

 

Cost Efficiency

At first glance, many professionals look at single-use medical supplies and assume it represents a higher cost than reusable ones. When you’re purchasing new supplies for each patient and throwing them away after each use, it’s natural to assume this is less cost-efficient than cleaning and reusing materials for future patients. However, there are multiple hidden costs associated with reusable supplies:

 

• Cleaning and sanitizing products 
• Employee time spent cleaning and disinfecting supplies 
• Personnel training for proper maintenance 
• Ongoing repairs and replacements 
• Risk of cross-contamination between patients can result in costly legal battles, fines from regulatory bodies, and insurance claims 

 

Single-use, FDA registered products, sourced from manufacturers following cGMP, are ready to use right out of the package. In addition to being safer for your patients, disposable supplies will save your practice time, money, effort, and stress. 

 

Choose the Best for Your Clinic

If you’re interested in learning more about our sustainably created supplies that will ensure the utmost safety of your patients and our planet, contact us anytime. We offer a wide variety of high-quality, industry-compliant products to suit every practice’s unique needs.