Millions of digital health devices (e.g. ECG leads, wearables, smart inhalers, remote diagnostic equipment) reach the end of their service life every year across European healthcare facilities. The majority end up in the wrong waste stream or go directly to landfill. This is not primarily a knowledge failure: it is a guidance gap. Very few operationally focused guidelines currently exist that specifically address the collection, sorting, handling, transport, and treatment of digital health devices.
This webinar presents the DiCE Instruction Manual for Operational Workers, a comprehensive practical guidance document developed under the Horizon Europe-funded DiCE project (Grant Agreement No. 101057309) to close that gap. The manual translates four overlapping regulatory frameworks, the EU Medical Device Regulation (2017/745), the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU), the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679), and applicable healthcare waste legislation, into structured, actionable operational guidance for the full chain of actors responsible for managing these devices at end of life.
The session combines a guided walkthrough of the DiCE Instruction Manual with four interactive discussion moments using Mentimeter live polling. Participants are encouraged to share their own experience, identify gaps in their current procedures, and flag the guidance formats that would work best in their operational context. The final 20 minutes are reserved for open Q&A.
What to expect
• Why digital health devices are not like other e-waste: biological contamination, patient data, lithium battery risk, and the intersection of four legal frameworks
• Prevention and procurement: what to ask suppliers at the tender stage to build circularity in from the start, including battery replaceability, data security by design, and supplier take-back schemes
• Reuse and refurbishment pathways: the three life-extension options (re-deployment, repair, refurbishment), step-by-step procedures, and the sequence of safety and data checks required before any device leaves the facility
• Collection and sorting at healthcare centres: the five-stream sorting system, colour-coded bin labels, collection point set-up, documentation and traceability requirements
• Safe handling and emergency procedures: PPE requirements by risk level, handling of damaged and contaminated devices, and four emergency protocols (lithium battery fire, sharps injury, contamination event, data breach)
• Transport, treatment, and reprocessing: permits, consignment documentation, treatment pathway selection (WEEE vs. medical waste), and reprocessing of single-use devices under Article 17 EU MDR
Agenda
10:00 – Welcome and introduction to the DiCE project
10:10 – The problem: why digital health devices are harder to manage than other e-waste
10:20 – Manual walkthrough: prevention, reuse, collection, safe handling, storage, transport, treatment, and reprocessing [Interactive Mentimeter discussions at four points throughout]
11:15 – Open Q&A and participant input
11:25 – Closing remarks and next steps
11:30 – End
