When less is more: Rethinking disposable use in healthcare

A single intensive care patient can generate up to 17 kilograms of waste per day, highlighting the enormous volume of materials consumed throughout modern healthcare. This raises the question whether all of this resource use is necessary.

New studies suggest that some long-established practices can be safely reconsidered. From routine glove use and anesthesia workflows to urinary catheter management, emerging evidence points to a common conclusion: reducing consumption does not automatically increase risk and may, in some cases, improve outcomes while lowering costs and waste.

Non-sterile gloves are among the most commonly used disposable items in healthcare. Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) argue that their use has expanded far beyond situations where evidence clearly supports infection prevention.

According to the research team, gloves remain essential when healthcare professionals may come into contact with bodily fluids or hazardous medications. However, routine use during activities such as patient repositioning, feeding, basic washing, or the preparation of many medications lacks a strong evidence base.

This extends beyond waste generation. Researchers note that unnecessary glove use may reduce compliance with hand hygiene practices, which remain one of the most effective measures for preventing healthcare-associated infections. More targeted use can reduce procurement costs and medical waste while reinforcing infection prevention measures that are supported by evidence.

A similar question is being explored in the operating room. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn are investigating how anesthesia workflows can reduce the amount of unused propofol that is routinely discarded.

Propofol is one of the most frequently used intravenous anesthetics, yet studies show that between 23 and 50 percent of prepared doses may never be administered. Rather than focusing on product substitution, the Bonn team examined the clinical workflow itself.

Their research indicates that target-controlled infusion systems can more accurately predict individual medication requirements by incorporating patient-specific parameters. This allows anesthesia teams to better match drug preparation to actual need, reducing discarded medication and minimizing syringe changes during procedures while maintaining established standards of care.

Evidence from the University of Southampton is also prompting a reassessment of long-standing assumptions about disposable medical products.

In a year-long study involving 578 participants, researchers found that reusable intermittent urinary catheters did not increase the risk of urinary tract infections compared with single-use devices. Participants using reusable catheters also required fewer antibiotics during the study period.

The findings suggest that carefully managed reuse strategies can reduce material consumption without compromising safety. They also provide new evidence for evaluating product lifecycles and procurement decisions in long-term patient care.

For decades, healthcare has often equated more disposables and more resource use with greater safety. Current research is beginning to test where that assumption holds true and where it does not.

The exemplary studies suggest that some established practices can be reconsidered without compromising patient safety. While the approaches differ, they all aim to align resource use more closely with actual clinical need.

Sources: University of Southampton, University Hospital Bonn (German only), Edith Cowan University