HHM Compatibility Special Edition Feb/Mar 2020 HHM Compatibility Special Edition Feb:Mar 2020 | Page 23

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Healthcare must raise its hands for change
Hospitalists can create change. First, they
can review upcoming RFP revisions and include
requirements for disinfectant-resistant devices
and equipment with IFUs which include long
lists of approved disinfectants. Second, they can
support Healthcare Surfaces Institute in creating
a meaningful certification for cleanability and
durability. The direct benefit is for healthcare,
and without the support early on from health-
care, the certification will take much longer to
implement–delaying improvements needed to
keep patients and clinicians safe. Third, ask hard
questions about how equipment and devices have
been tested. Ask about warranties and service
contracts. Are breakages covered and at what
additional cost?
Make data-driven decisions
As electronic healthcare providers adapt to
a paperless workflow and electronic medical
records (EMR) become the norm, clinical data will
yield more robust results. Insights gleaned from
these analytics will demonstrate the importance
of durable, long-lived medical devices for positive
patient outcomes.
Choosing the right polymers for medical
equipment saves costs and facilitates better care,
so healthcare providers can focus on patients
rather than on failing devices.
Fulfilling the Quad Aim
The Triple Aim was developed as a construct
for the delivery of high-quality healthcare
in the United States and encompasses three
performance principles: enhancing patient
experience, improving population health and
reducing costs. It’s been adopted to reform
health systems around the world and is widely
regarded as the north star for optimizing health
system performance. The so-called “Quadruple
Aim” adds a fourth principle: improving the
experience of providing care, according to Rishi
Sikka et al. in BMJ Quality & Safety.
Physicians and other healthcare workers
consistently report widespread burnout and
dissatisfaction. Burnout is associated with lower
patient satisfaction, suboptimal health outcomes
and, ultimately, higher costs. Consequently, the
Triple Aim was expanded to a Quadruple Aim,
adding the goal of improved quality of life for
healthcare providers, including clinicians and staff.
There’s an imbalance between societal expec-
tations and healthcare delivery. Patients desire
better health, timely service, an empathic bedside
manner and an ongoing relationship with the
skilled clinician of their choice.   According to
Donald M. Berwick as quoted in Annals of Family
Medicine, patient-centered practice means, “They
give me exactly the help I need and want, exactly
when I need and want it.” The article goes on to
say that society has not provided the resources
to meet these lofty benchmarks.
More than 40 percent of physicians—and 50
percent of female physicians—are burned out,
although doctors in some specialties are suffering
more than others, according to Medscape’s 2019
National Physicians Burnout & Depression Report.
Reducing medical device failure and lowering the
incidence of HAIs could have long-term benefits to
counteract burnout among healthcare providers.
Improving patient outcomes and the overall
healthcare experience could alleviate stress for
doctors, nurses and healthcare administrators.
The path forward
So what’s the takeaway here? Materials matter,
yes. HAIs are preventable with proper hygiene
protocols. Healthcare providers are overworked,
and there’s a shortage of them to meet the needs
of our aging and ailing population. But what if
OEMs could build better devices made from more
durable materials so they lasted longer, saved
money and improved the patient experience? This
would, in turn, improve the clinician experience.
It’s all doable.
Working together across the value chain is
the path to success. Material manufacturers can
improve materials to be more compatible with
disinfectants and cleaning protocols. Disinfectant
makers can formulate for the best compatibility
with materials. At the device manufacturer, design
engineers can use better screening tests like the
4-step test to improve selection of materials,
and they can intentionally design for cleanability.
Device marketing personnel can improve their
ability to meet healthcare needs by ensuring their
product requirements documents match the true
needs in healthcare, not overlooking cleanability
and durability which can have a significant impact
on the success or failure of a new product launch.
Healthcare providers can alter their RFPs to
demand the cleanability and durability they need
to protect patients and remove many avoidable
costs. Healthcare systems can also support the
Healthcare Surfaces Institute to ensure a non-bi-
ased certification for cleanability and durability
is launched to give value analysis professionals
something to measure against when making
critical purchases. In summary, it takes the entire
village to create change. On a personal level, it is
important for all of us to raise our voices, because
our families are the patients who are served by
the healthcare value chain. 
www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com • Compatibility Special Edition February/March 2020
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Reducing
medical device
failure and
lowering the
incidence of
HAIs could
have long-
term benefits
to counteract
burnout among
healthcare
providers.
¡
Improving
patient
outcomes and
the overall
healthcare
experience
could alleviate
stress for
doctors,
nurses and
healthcare
administrators.
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