SynthesisEuropean journal of public health2023
The impact of switching from single-use to reusable healthcare products: a transparency checklist and systematic review of life-cycle assessments.
Synthesis in European journal of public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07657039 (USE LESS, a Comparative Cohort Study of Climate Change Impact From Orthopedic Surgery.), which is not on this map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
USE LESS, a Comparative Cohort Study of Climate Change Impact From Orthopedic Surgery.
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence-based Integration of Environmental Sustainability into Clinical Guidelines for Operating Rooms: A Systematic Review.Annals of surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Increasing the environmental sustainability of operating rooms in Canada: an evidence-informed guideline for policy.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026Guideline
- Sustainability indicators for gastrointestinal endoscopy: a framework proposed by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Beyond Disposability: A Systematic Review of Reusable and Single-Use Products in Hygiene-Related Nursing Care in the ICU.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- Environmental benefits of reintroducing reusable drapes and gowns in the operating room.BJS open · 2026Article
- Points to consider for incorporating climate impacts into health economic evaluation.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- Mitigating Climate Impacts of "Hygiene Theatre" in Health Care: Perspectives of Primary Health Care Providers in Ontario, Canada.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Choosing reusable operating theatre devices at an Australian health service avoids hundreds of tonnes of waste and could save millions of dollars per annum.Anaesthesia and intensive care · 2026Article
- Life Cycle Assessments in Healthcare: Insights and Standardisation Needs.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- A comparative life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of preoperative skin preparation, single-use applicators versus bulk antiseptic with reusable instruments.Journal of infection prevention · 2026Article
- An economic evaluation of the MultICath randomised controlled trial, comparing combined use of reusable and single-use intermittent catheters to single-use catheters only.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2026Article
- Attitudes, knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers on sustainability actions among Italian anesthesiologists-intensivists: a nationwide survey.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2026Article
- [Glaucoma: ecological comparison of disposable and reusable measuring bodies for applanation tonometry according to Goldmann].Die Ophthalmologie · 2026Article
- Sustainable Green Polymer Production for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: A Review of Environmental and Economic Impacts.Polymers · 2026Review
- Article
- Mapping the regulatory landscape for environmental sustainability of medical device practices within the European Union.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Where healthcare systems fall short in long-term ostomy care: implications for quality of life, healthcare utilization, and sustainable care pathways.Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Towards sustainable healthcare in otorhinolaryngology: assessing knowledge, engagement, and opportunities for change.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Accuracy of catheter placement in ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery with optical navigation: A retrospective comparative study.Surgical neurology international · 2026Article
- Safety, cost and environmental impact of reprocessing low and moderate risk single-use medical devices: a systematic review.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundReplacing single-use products with reusable ones may reduce the environmental impact of healthcare. This study aimed to broadly assess the environmental effects of that substitution.
methodsA systematic review of comparative cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of single-use and reusable healthcare products was conducted. The main outcomes assessed were changes in the environmental impact that resulted after switching from single-use to reusable products. As no standardized transparency checklist was available, one was developed here using DIN ISO 14040/14044. The final checklist included 22 criteria used to appraise the included studies.
resultsAfter screening, 27 studies were included in the analysis. The healthcare products were assigned to four categories: invasive medical devices, non-invasive medical devices, protection equipment and inhalers. The outcomes revealed a reduction in mean effect sizes for all environmental impacts except water use. Non-invasive medical devices have greater relative mitigation potential than invasive devices. On average, information on 64% of the transparency checklist items was reported. Gaps included the reporting of data quality requirements.
conclusionsSwitching to reusable healthcare products is likely to reduce most impacts on the environment except water use, but the effect size differs among product categories. Possible study limitations include location bias, no systematic search of the grey literature and small samples for some impacts. This study's strengths are its approach to product categories and developed transparency catalogue. This catalogue could be useful to inform and guide a future process towards creating a standardized transparency checklist for the systematic reviews of LCAs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.