Based on my experience working in medical universities and medical management for a couple of years, I'd like to highlight some crucial points for establishing direct connections with the industry without involving branch companies or third-party intermediaries.
Most managers in the Biomedical Engineering Bureau of Hospital Management utilize routine calibrations and PM (Preventive Maintenance) forms to gain a holistic understanding of their medical conditions. However, the question remains: Does this approach effectively address their concerns about costs? Do third-party companies provide a solution? I firmly believe the answer is NO. Hospital staff often find it challenging to fill out PM forms for various reasons, such as a lack of technical skills to identify errors in devices or issues related to changing shifts and the transfer of accurate reports to colleagues on the next shift.
Even if third-party companies fill out these forms with maximum accuracy, an evaluation and assessment are still required. This is where an institute, like the renowned ECRI Institute, becomes essential. The ECRI Institute aims to guide us on which brands are suitable for each hospital department. For instance, certain Anesthesia devices may not function optimally in operating rooms due to closed air circulation for cleaning purposes.
Now, we understand which brands are suitable and why. However, the challenge lies in transferring this information to industrial companies directly, without involving other companies, universities, or institutes. Based on my empirical experiences, I suggest that if industrial companies offer significant discounts to their customers instead of monitoring their devices or collecting data, we can enhance our quality without any mediation.
You might wonder about the FDA process for medical devices. The answer to this question is that the FDA process does not account for the last factors known as unprecedented factors.
Now, do you have any suggestions on how we can encourage industrial companies to actively contribute to the improvement of their medical devices' performance?
Your insights into the complexities of managing medical devices in hospital settings, as well as the limitations of present techniques, are thought-provoking. here are some interesting suggestions:
1. Collaborative Research:
Consider forming joint research partnerships with manufacturing companies, hospitals, and research institutions. These partnerships can act as dedicated hubs for joint research projects, creating a collaborative environment in which insights, resources, and skills are pooled with the common objective of improving medical device performance.
2. Industry Fellowships for Hospital Staff:
Create industry fellowship programs that allow hospital staff, especially those involved in medical device management, to spend time working within industrial companies. This cross-over of skills and perspectives can cultivate a deeper understanding of industry challenges and facilitate collaborative problem-solving.
3. Joint Training Programs:
Develop joint training programs that bring together hospital staff and industrial company professionals. These programs can focus on enhancing technical skills, fostering better communication, and promoting a shared understanding of the challenges faced by both parties in the pursuit of improved medical device performance.
4. Technology Showcases and Expos:
Host technology showcases and expos that bring together industrial companies showcasing their latest innovations and hospital professionals seeking solutions. This platform can facilitate direct interactions, allowing hospital staff to provide real-time feedback and industries to tailor their offerings to meet specific needs.
I believe connections can be made between the industrial companies, health care professionals and customers. Upon customers will, information can be disclosed from third party companies to industrial companies to understand the device functionality, quality, usability and areas where device can be improved upon. By forming disclosure agreements, intermediate companies can be removed from the picture and gain knowledge directly from the consumer. Based on reviews received from customers, industrial companies can analyze and compile relevant data that would relate to their initial design, augment and provide better state of the art devices. Regulatory authorities can set up programs that provide incentives to industrial companies based on their participation to enhance their devices. This would allow companies to look forward to awards and recognition.
According to W. Edwards Deming, the father of modern quality theory and the science of process management, higher quality outcomes eliminate waste/Healthcare waste (i.e., any consumption of resources that doesn’t optimally benefit the patient), and value is the best quality result at the lowest necessary cost. In other words, Deming taught that by adopting the appropriate principles of management, organizations can increase quality and simultaneously reduce costs.
In addition to the aforementioned methods the use of "trial and learning" approach using rapid cycle improvement (RCI) can also be one of the model for improvement.
RCI is a practical and real-time approach that involves testing interventions on a small scale (e.g., one physician), permitting experimentation, and discarding unsuccessful tests. Numerous small cycles of change can successfully accumulate into large effects. For example, a medical practice could improve quality by working on a series of cumulative and linked PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles in different aspects of care at the same time, e.g., medication use, diagnostic testing, and patient scheduling. RCI also limits measurement to what is sufficient to track progress.
Furthermore, incorporating both positive and negative feedback directly from end users, such as hospital staff, and adapting equipment and methods accordingly can be a valuable approach for industrial companies looking to enhance their services in collaboration with medical management. This iterative feedback loop ensures that the products align closely with the practical needs and preferences identified during joint initiatives and training programs.
Lastly, to overcome the challenges faced by hospital staff in filling out Preventive Maintenance (PM) forms, especially related to technical skills, shift changes, and accuracy evaluation, utilizing digital platforms can be a solution, that allow real-time data entry, reducing the burden of paperwork and facilitating smoother transitions during shift changes.
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Collaborative Research:
- The idea is to increase synergy among all the components involved in a medical device. By creating dedicated centers for joint research projects, there is the potential to accelerate innovation, share expertise, and collectively address relevant issues.
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Industry Scholarships for Hospital Employees:
- The concept of industrial fellowships is promising because it encourages mutual knowledge exchange between hospital staff and industrial companies. This exchange can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of challenges and foster creative problem-solving. It is essential to ensure that these grant programs are implemented effectively, presenting a separate and attractive management challenge in itself.
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Joint Training Programs:
- The development of joint training programs is a very appropriate action to enhance employees' knowledge collectively. The success of this program is crucial in filling the knowledge gap among employees.
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Technology Fairs and Exhibitions:
- Hosting technology fairs and exhibitions is a great way to facilitate direct connections between industrial companies and hospital professionals. This method can contribute to improving the quality level of medical equipment in hospitals. Regularly organizing these events can help foster ongoing dialogue and cultivate a culture of innovation in the medical device management landscape.
I agree with your assessment that relying solely on third-party companies may not be the most effective approach. Even with accurate form completion, the steps of evaluation and assessment remain. The challenge you've identified is transferring this information directly to industrial companies. Maybe establishing a collaborative framework between medical institutions and industrial companies is a good idea. Perhaps organizing regular workshops or forums where personnel from both sides can engage in open discussions, share insights, and collectively address challenges, could foster a more direct and transparent relationship.
I completely agree with your perspective. Implementing a framework for comprehensive communication within the medical equipment industry, involving production managers, customers, and technical support, necessitates a well-organized structure, reliable data, and effective management. It's crucial to understand that the presence of such companies doesn't always imply overtime, and their elimination doesn't necessarily sever the direct relationship between product consumers and the relevant industry. There's a nuanced interplay between these elements, emphasizing the importance of a well-structured and efficiently managed communication framework.
