Current Issues of Manual Instrument Management
Managing surgical instruments is crucial for ensuring patient safety and efficient operations in healthcare facilities.
However, traditional methods face several challenges.
Never-events
Manual counting of instruments is prone to errors, leading to preventable incidents known as 'never-events,' such as instruments being left inside patients.
In the United States, approximately 4,000 such incidents occur annually, highlighting the critical need for more reliable management systems.¹
¹ Mehtsun, W. T., Ibrahim, A. M., Diener-West, M., Pronovost, P. J., & Makary, M. A. (2013). Surgical never events in the United States. Surgery, 153(4), 465–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2012.10.005
Oversupply And High Costs
An excessive number of surgical instruments are prepared for procedures, with 78%–87% going unused. Since operating rooms account for about 60% of hospital expenses, optimizing instrument inventories presents a major opportunity to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
² Hill, I., Olivere, L., Helmkamp, J., Le, E., Hill, W., Wahlstedt, J., Khoury, P., Gloria, J., Richard, M. J., Rosenberger, L. H., & Codd, P. J. (2022). Measuring intraoperative surgical instrument use with radio-frequency identification. JAMIA open, 5(1), ooac003.
³ Weiss, A., Hollandsworth, H. M., Alseidi, A., Scovel, L., French, C., Derrick, E. L., & Klaristenfeld, D. (2016). Environmentalism in surgical practice. Current problems in surgery, 53(4), 165–205.
Regulatory Compliance
Manual processes for handling surgical instruments fall short of MDR (Medical Device Regulation) and other standards, increasing errors and inefficiencies. With stricter compliance requirements approaching in 2024/2027, hospitals must act proactively.
Implementing digital systems to manage UDI (Unique Device Identification) information is crucial for ensuring MDR compliance, improving traceability, and enhancing efficiency.
Resource Strain and Surgery Delays
Missing or unprepared instruments often cause surgery delays or cancellations, disrupting patient care and creating operational inefficiencies. These delays increase costs and strain hospital resources, leading to rescheduling and additional resource allocation issues.
Environmental Impact
The production and disposal of unused instruments create significant medical waste, making operating rooms the primary source of hospital waste. Sustainable practices are essential to reduce this burden⁵.
Refining instrument supply and usage can greatly lessen healthcare facilities' environmental impact.
⁵ Ahmadi, E., Masel, D. T., Metcalf, A. Y., & Schuller, K. (2018). Inventory management of surgical supplies and sterile instruments in hospitals: a literature review. Health systems (Basingstoke, England), 8(2), 134–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/20476965.2018.1496875
OUR APPROACH
Here's How Caretag Solves These Issues
- Never-events
- Oversupply & high costs
- Unmet regulations
- Postponed surgeries
- Unsustainable use of materials
- Instruments are 100 % accounted for
- Tracking instruments to ensure efficient use
- Full compliance
- Improved efficiency with on-time surgeries
- Proper instrument maintenance
Need more information?
Our team is ready to assist with insights and expert guidance.