Are you considering disposable EEG cup electrodes?
If you are deciding whether to purchase disposable (single-use) or reusable EEG cup electrodes for your practice or EEG lab, please read on…
Purchase (material) costs: The purchase cost to buy EEG cup electrode products (available from The Electrode Store and others) runs about $1 dollar per single electrode strand for the disposable EEG Cup variety vs. about $10 per strand for the reusable type. However, aside from the obvious purchase (material) cost differences, here are other important factors to consider:
Labor costs to clean the reusable EEG Cups: When deciding to purchase reusable EEG cups, keep in mind that you are also committing to cleaning those devices between each use – say 100 times over the lifetime of the reusable electrode. Depending on who is doing the work – an EEG Technologist, or in some cases even a Physician – the labor costs can really add up. In addition to the direct labor costs, in some clinics there is a substantial lost “opportunity cost” because the person doing the cleaning could be helping with more valuable tasks such as diagnosing patients.
Risk of cross-contamination: Despite best efforts to properly clean, disinfect, and sterilize EEG cups or related surface electrodes between uses, studies have shown that a substantial proportion of re-used surface electrodes still contain at least trace amounts of contaminants, micro-organisms, or bacteria after cleaning, which could potentially lead to cross-contamination or infection of patients or others. While difficult to pin-point the financial cost, more and more hospitals and private practices are choosing disposable single-use EEG cups (such as the ones pictured here) to reduce any potential risks to patients’ health as well as the potential financial liability.
