Health technology is vital to the healthcare industry. Medical equipment and devices, in particular, provide the foundation for preventing and diagnosing illness and disease and rehabilitation from injury. There are over 20,000 medical devices, ranging from basic tongue depressors to stethoscopes, surgical instruments, prostheses, and diagnostic tests. Because of ever-changing needs and innovations, the demand for this industry has continuously increased. The global medical device market was worth US$ 389 billion in 2017. This rate can reach US$ 600 billion by 2024. The increase has been significant over two decades.
Why is Medical Equipment Disposal Important
After extended use, medical devices deteriorate and become less effective and reliable. When this happens, disposal is necessary. Medical devices must be decommissioned, or taken out of service, once they have completed their life cycle. Decommissioning is the process of removing medical devices from their originally intended uses in a health care facility.
Shutting down medical equipment and devices properly can improve patient safety and resource management and generate economic benefits. It is essential to understand the life cycle of these devices, determine their best end state, and ensure that devices are recycled in a safe, appropriate way to extend the device life
and ensure safety during disposal. It is crucial to avoid unsupervised, inappropriate disposal of medical equipment to avoid causing more harm than good. Unnecessarily dumping health care waste in landfills increases the risk of infection and other dangers to the public and the environment. Therefore, releasing hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere from medical equipment should be
avoided by proper electronic medical equipment recycling. This is removing hazardous materials from electronic devices before ending in a landfill. This process leaves behind nonhazardous materials like plastic, glass, and metal that can be reused or recycled instead of wasted.
Danger Ahead!
There are dangers associated with disposing of electronic medical waste. Disposing of medical waste can be accomplished in various ways, each with its risks. Medical waste, for example, can be burned, which releases toxic fumes. As an alternative to burying it in a landfill, you can dump it in a lake or river without putting any
containment system in place. The danger is that exposure to harmful chemicals and pathogens could cause someone to become sick, or some people can even die if they come into contact with these materials.
Here are some reasons why medical equipment should be recycled:
● Safety standards are improved, and compliance is improved. The hospital could face fines from state regulators or lawsuits from patients who claim the staff failed to dispose of broken medical equipment properly.
● Provides a cost-effective solution for disposing of old equipment. Hospitals have limited budgets that cover everything from new equipment purchases to employee salaries, so any savings helps them stay financially sound.
● When hazardous materials are disposed of properly, they can prevent pollution problems like groundwater contamination in landfills and incinerators.
● As innovations continue to develop and expand, hospitals and other healthcare organizations must protect themselves from the risks posed by all wireless devices, including those that connect medical devices. Responsible recycling of medical equipment is not only limited to reducing harm to health and the environment. It is crucial to prevent sensitive information from being leaked.
Sustainable Solution
A secure destruction process ensures that electronic equipment like cell phones, laptops, and tablets are rendered unusable, so others can’t misuse them. Companies will avoid potential fines for HIPAA violations. Urban E Recycling offers a secure way for companies to dispose of old hard drives. The company’s state-of-the-art machine can destroy over a thousand hard drives in an hour, ensuring that no information can be retrieved from the data device.
Here are some of the powerful machines at work:
Allegheny 12HD7.5 Hard Drive Shredders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkHD2qd7icM
and Hard Drive & SSD Combo Shredders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RrnbrVevhU
Shredding is the best and most efficient way of permanently destroying hard drives and other electronic equipment, as it leaves no trace of the data that was once stored on them. This method makes it nearly impossible for anyone else to access your sensitive information without knowing your password and security code.
Secure destruction of records helps you to comply with government regulations like HIPAA. It protects your privacy by ensuring that no one can recover personal information from your old computer equipment when they try to recycle it or resell it at a garage sale or flea market.
Even though the idea might seem frightening, you don’t need to think twice about having your medical equipment recycled. Your company can reduce waste, operate more efficiently, and stay legally compliant by recycling medical equipment.
If you’re interested in having your old medical equipment recycled for FREE, contact Urban E Recycling today!
Mother Nature doesn’t want your old computers but we do.
