INTRODUCTION

: Health care facilities use substances and producís that are potentially hazardous to the health of patients, workers, the community or the environment, either directly or after being processed into waste with potential environmental impact. Within the framework of the strategy for Sustainable Hospitals, the current trend is limiting the exposure to these inputs by minimizing their use or gradually replacing them with safer equivalents. However, regardless of the safety margins established, the environmental impact assessment throughout the value chain is not a constituent part of the cost-benefit analysis which takes place before deciding the acquisition and use. This work aimed at evaluating a tool for economic-environmental analysis that allows to select the most sustainable alternative.

METHODS

: The Analytic Hierarchy Process was used as a tool to incorporate environmental attributes into the assessment of multiple criteria applicable to products of similar properties and intended use containing potentially hazardous materials.

RESULTS

: A total of 125 products or families of products were studied, and 93 of them fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A high share of PVC-made products was observed.

DISCUSSION

: The tool, which introduces environmental criteria in the evaluation process, is an effective instrument when deciding an acquisition orincorporation into the technological assets of a health institution.

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