Weighing the Pros and Cons of Patient Safety Technology
Last year, eight hand hygiene compliance companies formed an alliance called the Electronic Hand-Hygiene Compliance Organization (EHCO). In a press release announcing the new coalition, proponents of automated surveillance pointed out that direct observation only accounts for a small percentage of hand hygiene events, and that in many cases clinicians know they are being observed. Automated surveillance, conversely, tracks 100% of hand hygiene occurrences and has been shown to improve hand hygiene rates in some hospitals.
In November, DebMed, one of the eight organizations that make up EHCO, announced that the University of Vermont Health Network and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, New York, increased hand hygiene compliance by 40% in four months by using the DebMed Group Monitoring System. Using wireless sensors, the system records every hand hygiene event and stores it on a server, allowing staff to easily view trends and statistics and identify areas for improvement.
Other systems, like SwipeSense, rely on badges and wall-mounted hubs to track compliance. Several other companies use radio frequency identification and real-time location systems to collect hand hygiene compliance data.
Robots that come in all shapes and sizes
The robot revolution is here, and it’s happening in various parts of the hospital.
Increasingly, robots are being used to disinfect patient rooms. Using high-intensity UV light, these robots are able to disinfect an entire hospital room, sometimes in just 15–20 minutes.
Xenex, perhaps the most popular brand of UV disinfecting robots, has been shown to reduce surgical site infections by as much as 100%. In other studies, Xenex has reduced C. difficile rates by as much as 70% and cut MRSA rates by as much as 57%.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, recently tested the Xenex robots for a six-month period. Although the robots added about 25 minutes to the room turnaround process, C. diff infections declined 30%.
Popularity surrounding Xenex and several other UV robots spiked recently amid concerns of a potential Ebola epidemic. Although the robots cost as much as $100,000 apiece, some infection prevention experts have argued the initial cost far outweighs the added costs associated with an HAI.
Beyond disinfecting rooms, surgical robots have become much more ubiquitous in healthcare facilities as a less invasive alternative to traditional surgical procedures.
The da Vinci Surgical System was granted FDA approval in 2000, and many hospitals jumped on board. Recently, however, some have raised concerns about physician training and robot malfunctions that have led to patient injuries.
This article initially appeared in Patient Safety Monitor Journal.