title: Reuse of single-use devices: looking back, looking forward.
abstract: The reuse of medical devices marked as 'single use' by manufacturers has been going on for several decades. The process has been rationalized and legislated in the West as well as in Japan. However, the practice continues in an unregulated manner in India due to a paucity of guidance from the Food and Drug Administration in India. We trace the evolution of reuse policies, look at the prevalent practices in the Indian and international contexts, analyse the available Indian literature and address the ethical and economic implications of reuse. We also suggest some guidelines which may be adopted to formulate policies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Laparoscopic Surgery, Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. maharrahussain@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Balsara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagral
mesh_terms: D017046:Cost Savings; D017743:Equipment Reuse / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D013242:Sterilization / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*