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. 2013 Nov-Dec;21(6):1228-34.
doi: 10.1590/0104-1169.2920.2358.

The cost of waste of consumable materials in a surgical center

[Article in English, Portuguese, Spanish]
Liliana Cristina de Castro  1 , Valeria Castilho  2
Affiliations
Free article

The cost of waste of consumable materials in a surgical center

[Article in English, Portuguese, Spanish]
Liliana Cristina de Castro et al. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2013 Nov-Dec.
Free article

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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