How Hospitals Can Transition to Reusable Medical Products Successfully

As healthcare systems continue searching for ways to improve efficiency, strengthen safety standards, and reduce environmental impact, many hospitals are exploring how hospitals can transition to reusable medical products successfully. 

But making the shift isn’t only about swapping one product for another — it requires preparation, staff alignment, and a clear understanding of the long-term advantages.

At Or Greens, we’ve supported hospitals and surgical teams through this transition, helping them adopt reusable gowns, barrier wraps, and textiles while maintaining compliance, safety, and operational excellence. 

Here's how any hospital can approach the process with clarity and confidence.

Preparing Staff for Reusable Product Adoption

One of the most important steps in transitioning to reusables is ensuring that every clinical team understands how the products work, how they should be handled, and how they fit into the daily workflow.

Reusable medical products — especially textiles like surgical gowns and drapes — require specific handling procedures, storage protocols, and return-to-laundry workflows. Comprehensive training for clinical teams removes uncertainty and helps staff adopt reusables confidently.

Hospitals should build training sessions around:

• Demonstrating proper donning and doffing

• Explaining reprocessing cycles and turnaround times

• Defining roles within the workflow

• Clarifying how reusable products maintain (and often exceed) expected barrier protection levels

By integrating workflow adjustments for reusables into existing routines instead of creating new, complicated procedures, hospitals make the transition seamless and sustainable.

Ensuring Compliance and Safety Standards

Safety and compliance remain non-negotiable and many hospitals are surprised to learn that high-quality reusable textiles meet AAMI standards for barrier protection, durability, and infection control.

To transition successfully, hospitals should:

• Select AAMI compliant reusable textiles that meet the required protection level (AAMI PB70 Levels 1–4)

• Validate reprocessing steps with certified laundering partners

• Document compliance procedures clearly for staff

• Conduct periodic audits to ensure continuous quality

Reusable gowns and wraps undergo strict testing, including fluid resistance, tear strength, linting control, and coverage durability. This aligns fully with hospital infection control guidelines, making reusables just as safe — and often more reliable — than disposable alternatives.

Compliance communication is key. When staff understands how safety standards are maintained, adoption becomes easier and more consistent.

Long-Term Benefits of Switching to Reusables

One of the most compelling reasons hospitals transition to reusable products is the combination of sustainability and financial efficiency. Reusables significantly contribute to reducing waste and environmental impact, helping facilities lower their environmental footprint without compromising safety.

The long-term advantages include:

1. Major reductions in waste

Hospitals generate thousands of pounds of single-use surgical waste each year. Reusables can reduce that footprint by up to 70–90%, depending on usage volume.

2. Substantial cost savings

While the initial investment is higher, reusable textiles pay for themselves quickly. Lower purchasing frequency, reduced waste-management costs, and improved product longevity translate into considerable cost savings for hospital operations.

3. Consistency and reliability

Unlike supply-chain-sensitive disposables, reusables provide predictable inventory cycles and consistent performance.

4. A stronger sustainability identity

Modern patients and healthcare partners value institutions that prioritize environmentally responsible practices. Adopting reusable medical products signals commitment to both safety and sustainability.

Transitioning to reusables doesn’t have to be complex. With proper training, compliance planning, and a clear view of long-term benefits, hospitals can make the shift smoothly and confidently. 

And with the right partners they gain the support, guidance, and product quality needed to adopt solutions that truly transform operating room sustainability.