Alex Prior explains why flexible traceability systems are integral to patient safety. In this article, Alex highlights how the Royal United Hospital has driven improvement.
According to a report published by the National Library of Medicine, as many as 42% of patients experience physical deterioration following a cancelled surgical procedure. For hospitals, a cancelled operation means failed clinical pathways, fractured care coordination, and erosion of patient trust in the very institution meant to keep them safe. Across the NHS, over 7 million patients are on the waiting list for surgery,1 delayed not because of clinical necessity, but by completely preventable operational failures: a missing tray, unavailable equipment, or instruments that should have been serviced before their last reprocessing...
These disruptions are not only logistical challenges, such as lost theatre time or resource wastage, they translate into tangible patient harm which has a cascade of other challenges, like litigation fees, lost trust and reputational damage. The culprit? Traceability, or lack thereof.
Manual, paper-based traceability processes (which are still in use today), as well as unintegrated, rigid systems create silos. When dealing with contaminants, silos can increase risk.
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