The cost of waste of consumable materials in a surgical center

Authors

  • Liliana Cristina de Castro Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior
  • Valeria Castilho Universidade Sao Paulo; Escola de Enfermagem

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.2920.2358

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to identify the types, quantities and cost of the consumable materials sent, used, returned unopened and wasted in surgical operations; to classify the incidences of waste as avoidable or unavoidable losses, and to calculate the rate of waste of the consumable materials in the peri-operative period in the Surgical Center of a São Paulo university hospital. METHOD: a descriptive-exploratory case study with a quantitative approach. The convenience sample corresponded to 105 types of consumable materials sent for the 275 operations observed between February and May 2011. RESULTS: the items wasted most were surgical sutures, surgical cotton sutures, and gauze compresses. The total cost of the waste was R$ 709.84. The mean percentage of waste in the sample was 9.34%, of which 1.23% was avoidable and 8.14% unavoidable. CONCLUSION: the study evidenced that the effective management of material resources reduces the costs of the processes, and reduces waste.

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Published

2013-12-01

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 6 (2013)

Section

Original Articles

License

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Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

The cost of waste of consumable materials in a surgical center . (2013). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 21(6), 1228-1234. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.2920.2358