Before asking for your business, vendor partners should
provide you with strong, evidence-based resources to support
their products. You don’t need to see clinical studies to
decide which tongue depressor to buy, but, if the vendor
is claiming to improve patient outcomes or operational
efficiency, evidence is needed.
Here is an example: not all efficacy claims need to be
supported by a randomized, controlled trial. If a disinfectant
has an EPA claim as a sporicide, a clinical study to prove
that it kills spores is not necessary because EPA registration
ensures that the product kills spores. The claim that the same
sporicide reduces C. difficile infection rates when used as
part of an overall environmental hygiene program, however,
should be substantiated by clinical evidence.
Vendor partners should also be sharing their knowledge
of industry trends. They focus on emerging issues and
technology in their area of expertise and can help you “see
around the corner” so that you’re prepared for what is
coming next.
Some products and services require a trial before
deciding to purchase. While your hospital may have unique
circumstances to take into consideration, a strong vendor
partner has a well-defined process to ensure an effective
trial that can account for your circumstances. They will also
have the resources (product, tools, training and people) to
support the trial so that you aren’t taking on all the work by
yourself. Remember, their job is to make your work better.
Before a trial begins though, it is critical that you and the
vendor partner agree on metrics for success. The success
criteria should be objective, measurable and achievable
within the timeframe of the trial.
For instance, while a product may help reduce health-
care-associated infections, the outcome measure of infection
rate reduction is not measurable within the timeframe of
a one-month trial. Rather, evaluate the process measure.
During a trial for an electronic hand hygiene compliance
monitoring system, one can measure the impact of the system
on the process measure of hand hygiene compliance, but
not the outcome measure of HAI reduction – that simply
requires more time.
Vendor partners help provide you with talking points for
key conversations with hospital stakeholders by anticipating
what questions will be asked, knowing stakeholder priorities,
and providing appropriate data to share.
Once you’ve decided to take a product to the value
analysis committee, vendor partners can help you prepare
messaging that presents your case convincingly and helps
stakeholders understand why they need to take your
recommended actions. They do this by helping you:
Target your message to the audience. Top priorities for
a c-level executive are different than those of clinical staff,
for instance, and top priorities for a CEO are not the same
for CFOs or COOs either.
Make strong comparisons. Compare the value of
the solution you are recommending to what is currently
being done.
Bring the evidence. Provide well-supported research,
studies, and other data that support your recommendation
and resonate with your stakeholders.
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The collaborative vendor partner’s work is just beginning
once the product has been approved for purchase. Work with
your vendor partner to map out the implementation timeline
and process. They should provide in-person education and
training along with leave behind train-the-trainer resources
for you to use when training new employees or providing
refresher training.
And, because it’s difficult to measure or make improve-
ments without good data, digital technology plays an
increasing role in this space because it provides hospitals
with actionable insights that they can use for continuous
improvement. Vendor partners should provide comprehensive
training on the collection, analysis and reporting of any
insights that are derived as part of the product or service.
They will also help you evaluate what’s working and
make contingency plans for addressing results that aren’t
what you expect.
Ongoing support and partnership are key deliverables
from a vendor partner. The relationship doesn’t end with
a purchase. Vendor partners should review data, provide
education, follow up and service on a regular, mutually
agreed upon cadence to ensure that you’re reaping the
benefits of said solution. This is especially important when
the solution being implemented is intended to drive behavior
change such as hand hygiene or environmental hygiene
compliance – it simply doesn’t happen overnight. It is a
process that is optimized over time to accommodate your
facility’s evolving needs.
When solving for complex issues that require behavior
change, hospitals should be looking beyond products for a
more holistic and long-term solution. Hospitals can improve
results by partnering with vendors who work alongside them
to develop lasting, customized, and programmatic solutions
that address their specific needs.
Something I think hospitals expect, but shouldn’t, is that
improvements will fade (regress to the mean) over time. In
fact, they should expect and be armed with the products,
processes and practices that will continuously improve their
performance over the lifetime of the solution.
Change can be hard, especially when it involves adjust-
ments to behavior, but with the right vendor partner it is
possible for hospitals to make comprehensive and sustainable
improvements to horizontal measures that impact clinical
and operational outcomes, while also cultivating the financial
wellness of the hospital.
Products alone simply don’t cut it anymore – hospitals can
and should expect more from their vendor partners.
Linda Homan, RN, BSN, CIC, is senior manager of clinical
affairs for Ecolab Healthcare.
References
1. Wenzel RP, Edmond MB. Infection Control: The case for horizontal
rather than vertical interventional programs. Int J Inf Dis 2010; S3-S5.
2. Edmond MB, Wenzel RP. Screening Inpatients for MRSA — Case
Closed. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:2314-2315.
february 2020 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com