The role of medical device on patient safety
World Patient Safety Day, which takes place each year on September 17, was established by the World Health Organization to recognize patient safety as a global health priority and encourage healthcare communities, patients, and others to come together in support of patient health.
While the theme of World Patient Safety Day in 2022 is “Medication Safety,” medical procedures are also an essential element in a patient care pathway. We recently sat down with Michelle Fox, Corporate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Teleflex, to discuss patient safety and how medical devices can play a role in reducing medication usage and help clinicians deliver positive patient outcomes.
Teleflex: What is the role of medical devices in potentially reducing medication usage?
Michelle: The World Health Organization has established a strategic framework for its Global Patient Safety Challenge, which has three key action areas: polypharmacy, high risk situations and transitions of care. Within these action areas, there is an opportunity to consider minimally invasive procedures and minimally invasive surgery to reduce the chronic use of medications for certain patient populations. Minimally invasive procedures/surgery are conducted utilizing medical devices to address the symptoms that cause patients to take prescription medications daily.
Advocacy for safe medication administration is extremely important, especially in certain diseases that require chronic medication management. Thanks to new and innovative technology, minimally invasive procedures can serve as a potential alternative to long-term medical management and should be considered in a well-defined clinical care pathway. Medical device technologies that can eliminate the need to take medications daily is an effective way to help reduce the risk of polypharmacy. It may also help reduce some of the high-risk situations the WHO has identified, like the need for ongoing monitoring of the medications. For example, our UroLift? System, an innovative, implantable technology for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as enlarged prostate, can alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms, which may help patients reduce or, in certain cases, even avoid the use of BPH medications. Roehrborn et al. Five-year results of the prospective randomized controlled prostatic urethral L.I.F.T. study. Can J Urol. 2017 Jun;24(3):8802-8813.
Teleflex: How does the Clinical Medical Affairs department at Teleflex contribute to patient safety?
Michelle: It’s at the heart of what my team and I are responsible for every day when we come to work. We are here to take a patient-centric approach in all our decision making and we feel very strongly as a team made of healthcare professionals that the patient and health care provider responsible for the delivery of care are always considered and represented.
Whether we are working in the quality system, analyzing clinical feedback for new product development, evaluating ease of use by testing early prototypes, reviewing potential risks to patients, or developing clinical trials, CMA is the clinical and educational bridge between our company, the healthcare provider, and the patient. Patient safety is also at the forefront of how we establish and provide educational modalities to ensure healthcare professionals are well informed on how to use our product safely.
Teleflex: You mentioned New Product Development. How does CMA represent the patient when the company is thinking about new products?
Michelle: Through Human Factors, we work closely with our R&D teams at the start of their design work. We apply a user-centered approach and iteratively test prototypes throughout the design and development phase of the product development process. We are very intentional to consider every facet of the patient and user experience, from risk of complications to ergonomically designed devices and environment of use, while also looking at ways to minimize risk to the patient and ensure the device can be deployed safely.
Teleflex: You are a Registered Nurse with a BSN and in fact spent much of your career in a hospital setting before moving over to the medical device industry. How has working for a medical device company expanded your views on clinical practice?
Michelle: Having been a critical care nurse, I have been formally trained to fully consider the patient in everything I do, and I translate that into my role here at Teleflex. The decisions we make have a direct impact on the delivery of patient care.
When we think about patient care, we also must focus on the healthcare professionals. I know firsthand that many clinicians are experiencing burn-out and many have left direct patient care. Healthcare delivery systems are experiencing staffing shortages, supply chain disruption and many other challenges. I recognize that healthcare is one of the most challenging environments to be in at the moment. So, to promote patient safety, we also must promote healthcare professionals’ wellness, encourage safe and supportive working environments, provide products that are easy use and alleviate frustration and confusion, and enable access to vital resources for clinical practice such as education. It’s important to show up for healthcare professionals, in much the same way that they have shown up for us.