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A survey of all Canadian hospitals was undertaken in 1986 to determine the extent of the reuse of disposable medical devices meant for "single use only." It was found that 41% of hospitals regularly reused disposable medical devices, and reuse was significantly higher in hospitals with more than 200 beds. Only 38% of hospitals that regularly reused had written procedures for reuse, and 32% indicated a mechanism for determining the number of times a device was reused. Cost analysis studies had been undertaken by only 29% of regular reusers, and items of respiratory therapy equipment were the most commonly reused devices.