Why the healthcare industry must address single-use diagnostic waste

Single-use diagnostic tests are transforming healthcare around the world. They are used in hospitals and GP surgeries, in the field and at home, providing fast and reliable results. They hold great promise for global health, including meeting urgent needs for testing and diagnostics in places with limited laboratory facilities.

The use of these single-use or point-of-care diagnostics has surged. Billions of tests are being used each year during the pandemic. That’s in addition to 412 million malaria tests, 2.4 million HIV tests and 3 million TB tests. The global point-of-care market is expected to grow from $43.3 billion in 2022 to $72 billion by 2024: an annual growth rate of 10%. But the surge in single-use diagnostics is having a significant impact on the environment.

Professor Maïwenn Kersaudy-Kerhoas is an expert in microfluidics engineering at Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering. She and a team of scientists, manufacturers and end-users from Spain, France, Ethiopia and South Africa recently highlighted the growing environmental burden of point-of-care diagnostic tests in the journal Lab on a Chip. “Healthcare waste has always been a problem as we prioritize patient safety and recognize that reusing certain items is unhygienic or even dangerous. The pandemic has highlighted the amount of medical waste generated and has certainly exacerbated the problem. Until now, there has been little discussion about how to design medical devices sustainably, but this is an issue that needs to be addressed at the design stage.”

Kersaudy-Kerhoas lists a number of disposable and unsustainable medical supplies, including surgical gloves, disposable masks, and other small consumables, but her main interest is in addressing how point-of-care diagnostic tests are designed, manufactured, and disposed of. “Point-of-care diagnostic tests offer great health benefits, but they also contribute to an already serious medical waste problem. These devices are often made from unsustainable plastics from fossil sources. They often need to be incinerated to reduce the risk of infection, which in turn releases greenhouse gases and other potential pollutants. On top of this, some diagnostic tools contain toxic chemicals, such as cyanide derivatives, which can be harmful to the environment and human health if not disposed of properly. There is an urgent need to find solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of these devices. Engineers, manufacturers, and clinicians must work together to make this a priority.”