Matching reuse models to hospitals

In the transition towards a circular economy, also critical sectors such as the healthcare sector need to be reviewed. A large portion of hospital waste consists of low-value, disposable consumables. Currently, the circular design strategies of reuse, maintenance, and repair in healthcare are predominantly applied to high-value products. This study proposes four reuse value-chain models specifically for small, low-cost medical consumables. Reuse models are distinguished on reprocessing location (internal or external) and product usage (shared or personal). Business model evaluation and value propositioning are used to gain understanding of the models and a co-creation session with a MedTech company verified these understandings. Our research sought to support manufacturers of reusable medical products by addressing the importance of the fit between the reuse model and the hospital’s context (location, infrastructure, staffing, organisational structure, product volume and type). These context features, as well as the hospital’s interest in reusable products should be documented in the tendering documents of the purchasing process. Internal reprocessing makes the hospital more self-sufficient but requires additional staffing for reprocessing and quality control. External reprocessing decreases the hospital’s workload, but requires the involvement of additional service partners. For all reuse models, continuous communication and collaboration (feedback, training and guidance) between the hospital and value-chain partners are vital.