iM Med and the Steelco One Connection System
Human Factors in Healthcare
Human Factors describes a multi-disciplinary science that sits at the intersection of psychology and engineering, focused on understanding the interaction between humans and other elements of a system within a given environment. Human factors focused design accounts for psychological and physiological principles and theories to the design of products, processes, and systems, improving safety, efficiency, quality, reliability and when applied effectively, also reduces costs.
The primary purpose of healthcare services is to deliver high quality care to all that is safe, clinically effective and results in as positive an experience. However, delivering healthcare can place individuals, teams and organisations under pressure, with staff having to make decisions in dynamic, often unpredictable circumstances. In such intense situations, decision making can be compromised, impacting on the quality of clinical processes and potentially causing harm.
The Steelco One Connection System
The Steelco One Connection System (OCS) is a patented connection innovation to address the potential for human factor error in endoscope connection. The Operator need only connect the endoscope once at the start of the decontamination process, this connection remains in place for the manual flushing/rinsing of the endoscope at the manual clean stage, then one connection into the automated washer disinfector and then to the drying/storage stages.
Reducing the risk with the Steelco OCS
- Reduced risk of error by only connecting the endoscope at the start of the process, the operator does not have to repeat this process which eliminates the risk of mistakes further down the process. Often the connection method for dryers is very different to how endoscopy washer disinfectors connect, resulting in excessive manual handling during the process to remove the channel separators and connectors and reconnect dryer tubing. The OCS removes these steps and reduces this risk.
- Enhanced Infection Prevention. The risk of recontamination is reduced with a particular benefit when removing from the washer to place in a dryer, the OCS head and basket are the only elements touched to remove from the washer and place in the dryer, enabling the safe aseptic handling of the endoscope. The subsequent connection steps can be conducted one handed
- Improved efficiency of the decontamination process by reducing the connection time, the speed and efficiency of the process is significantly increased, realising time and cost savings.
- Reduced handling of the endoscope. The streamlined process reduces the risk of endoscope damage and potential for costly repairs related to damage incurred through multiple connection handling.
- The OCS connects 6 channels and the leak test, with a 7th channel possible, which can be dedicated to channels such as the elevator channel in duodenoscopes, future proofing your decontamination equipment.
iM Med, Steelco, the OCS and continuous quality improvement.
James Reason, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Manchester and recognised expert in human error, refers to these unnoticed flaws in our safety systems as “latent errors.” Dr. Reason notes that latent errors are constantly changing and moving, with new ones introducing themselves all the time. Given the right environmental circumstances, a number of these latent errors may combine with an active error (a slip, lapse, or mistake caused by the provider on the sharp end of healthcare) to cause a serious event. We need to design our systems to help providers “do the right thing,” avoid active errors, and detect and eliminate as many latent errors as possible before they combine and cause a serious event.
The OCS is an example of such a system design, Steelco apply a programme of continuous quality improvement to all of their products and services, supported by their application in the UK by iM Med, with patient safety as a central principle combined with a dedication to customer service and feedback, the design of safe solutions remains as an ongoing commitment to a global safe patient strategy.
Find out more about iM Med Compliance Academy Training:
T. 01223 440 475
W. im-med.com
Reference:
Reason, J. (1997). Managing the risks of organizational accidents. England: Ashgate.
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