May 23, 2008 - ECRI Institute has created a new online resource devoted to medical device reuse issues.
The free site, www.ecri.org/device_reuse/Pages/infection.aspx, provides access to a select number of guidance articles from ECRI Institute’s research library. The site includes recommended practices, as well as policy and procedure development tools on patient communication and device reuse issues.
“The recent situation in Las Vegas, where nearly 40,000 people were potentially exposed to hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV has renewed public concerns about patient infection from inappropriate reuse of medical devices,” said Mark Bruley, vice president for accident and forensic investigation at ECRI Institute. “We’ve brought together a number of our resources on one site to help physicians understand the current issues and risks of reuse and to assist them in the proper management of medical device reuse.”
The site also features new guidance on recommended practices for multiuse vials from ECRI Institute’s recently published Physician Office Fundamentals in Risk Management and Patient Safety, a 250-page guide with information and tools for complex safety and risk issues in physician offices.
For more information: www.ecri.org