Resources

Assured safety

May or may not offer total safety

High barrier to blood or body fluids

Barrier properties for reusable apparels decrease with each wash

Lower lint than linen (lint is a source
of infection)

High lint count

Proven sterilization performance

Difficult to prove sterilization performance

Guaranteed performance every time

Clipped or pinned reusable linen risks tears and holes during washing, mending and storage. According to an independent study in 1990 by the DuPont Company, a rapid decline in barrier protection occurred through the first 25 washings even when the reusable products were laundered to the manufacturer's specifications

High Barrier Protection from blood-borne pathogens and cross contamination

Reusable apparels do not give any protection

Always new, clean, consistent in performance

Performance can be compromised during laundering process (dirt, virus parts, blood etc.)

Products are incinerated generating energy (2000T per day creating 200 million KWh yearly).Single use drapes and gowns represent only 2% of hospital waste (hospital waste only 2% of municipal waste).Synthetic fibers need 0 hectare agricultural area .Less than 1% of crude oil globally is actually consumed in production of man-made fibers

Reusable apparels need high amount of detergent and possibly fluoro-carbonates for laundering (textiles need repeated impregnation). Hospital or external laundries drain “contaminated wash water”. Cotton needs 1.3 hectare agricultural area per ton of fiber. Cotton fields need lots of water (25000m3/ton) fertilizer pesticides, herbicides which destroy land by chemical pollution

Stocks do not need continual replenishment

Need substantially more storage space for prepared and used stocks

Do not have a high variable cost

High costs as they need sorting, segregation, repair due to sharp instruments damage, laundering, inspection, folding, packing and sterilization

Single use apparels reduce costs to hospitals by preventing Hospital Acquired Infection

Not effective in preventing Hospital Acquired Infection