Peering into the OR's dirty, wasteful secret

Kudos to MDs Roy K. Esaki and Alex Macario for shining the light on operating room waste in an article on Medscape.com. Packaging materials contribute to overall OR waste, yet packaging's primary function is to maintain the sterility and safety of medical devices, drugs, and/or biologics for surgical patients. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and restriction practices, say the authors, can help combat waste. So could the development of recycling programs at hospitals, costly as they may be. While environmentally friendly packaging will likely make inroads in the OR, job one for manufacturers is to package a product that will benefit the patient, perhaps even save her or his life. Beyond that goal, manufacturers also must address the packaging demands of surgical room personnel.