Towards using Simulation to Evaluate the Circular Economy of Small Medical Devices

A linear economy (LE)-based take-make-use-waste model is environmentally unsustainable and other care settings for medical devices. A significant proportion of UK's National Health Service (NHS) emissions is derived from medical devices. The alternative, a circular economy (CE) system, has the potential to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with LE. This paper evaluates the effect of introducing CE in the healthcare supply chain in the context of small medical devices (SMDs). We develop simulation models that quantify the environmental, operational, and financial impact of circular interventions in the value chain of SMDs. Two complementary simulation models that evaluate the impact of CE for a surgical instrument, laparoscopic scissors, as an example, representing the whole-system perspective and cost-effectiveness from the hospital setting perspective, are presented. Our preliminary findings suggest that the introduction of CE leads to reduced overall environmental emissions, and to improved cost-effectiveness from a hospital setting perspective.