Seelmann, Vincent (2026) Behavioural and organisational factors influencing the reduction of single-use medical products and disposables in patient care and the operating room in German Hospitals. Master thesis, Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SE).
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Abstract
The healthcare sector in Germany contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation with around 5,2%. In hospitals, single-use medical products and disposables (SMPs) are a crucial part of this problem because they are used once and then discarded causing substantial environmental burdens. Although reusable or lower-waste alternatives (RMPs) exist for some product groups, their adoption in daily hospital practice remains difficult. This thesis examines behavioural and organisational factors that influence the reduction of SMPs in patient care and operating room (OR) settings in German hospitals. The study used an exploratory qualitative research design based on semi-structured interviews. Twelve interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals (HPs) and hospital actors from four hospitals in Germany, including nurses, physicians, operating room staff, procurement, nursing management, a sustainability consultant and a medical product developer. The analysis followed an abductive approach. Organisational design theory and the COM-B framework were used as conceptual frameworks and the final factors were developed from the conducted interview data. The findings show that SMP reduction is influenced by organisational and behavioural factors. Organisational factors included perceived hygiene compliance of RMPs, perceived legal safety of reuse and reprocessing, external pressures favouring SMP use, short-term cost logic, procurement related product availability, weak strategic integration of SMP reduction, limited lifecycle data, time and staffing capacity, waste separation infrastructure, workflow fit and reprocessing conditions. Behavioural factors included awareness of SMP waste, practical capability for safe reduction, perceived agency, team norms, professional influence, perceived safety and workflow reliability, responsibility and automatic single-use routines. The thesis shows that HPs often noticed SMP waste, but their ability to act is depended on organisational conditions, product availability, clinical context and perceived safety. Routine situations generally allowed more reflection and high-pressure or safety-critical situations favoured the use of SMPs. As a conclusion, SMP reduction is a multilevel implementation challenge. SMP reduction becomes more realistic when organisational conditions make it safe, legal, available and practical and when healthcare professionals have the capability, opportunity and motivation to act.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Kilian, S.K. |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Jul 2026 07:03 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jul 2026 07:03 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/894 |
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