At present corporations are allowed to make decisions that cater to the myopic view of their immediate constituents. It is a reality that most hospitals reprocess single-use medical devices. Often the process is improvised. Reprocessing single-use devices has to be a transparent process and shown to be no different from or inferior to that of reprocessing reusable devices or instruments. Written reprocessing protocols have to be drawn up for each instrument.
Feasibility trials have to be run.
A variety of issues from training, to costs, to quality control have to be addressed and should include everyone concerned with the process. The final step requires board approval. This can result in substantial savings and can occasionally mean the difference between access to or denial of new technology. We know of renal dialysis units that could not operate if some single-use medical devices were not reprocessed. Occasionally, proof of the feasibility of reprocessing selected single-use instruments comes in surprising ways.