The Design Intervention Opportunities to Reduce Procedural-Caused Healthcare Waste Under the Industry 4.0 Context – A Scoping Review

Abstract

The current medical device industry thrives on material redundancy and continues to advocate for a use-and-throw model of practice. Such redundancies are vital to ensure the safety of patients by preventing reinfection from reused devices, but the risks and costs of the waste generated are leaving hospitals and third-party resource handlers wary of future challenges. The Industry 4.0 revolution has started to redefine the production and consumption models of many industries. The main advantages of adopting these methods have been increased efficiency of systems and a reduction of redundant resources. But how do these new technologies help reduce the waste generated in medical procedures? This paper scopes the opportunities that come with implementing industry 4.0 to reduce procedural caused medical waste. These challenges and opportunities have been analysed at four hierarchical levels of innovation; the system, service, procedural and product levels. The research indicates that although the adoption of industry 4.0 concepts in healthcare is contributing to a more efficient use of resources, more research is required focused specifically on its impact on the production of procedure-caused medical waste.