HTMs and the rapidly changing work environment
11/9/2021
I attended my first tradeshow symposium this month since the pandemic began almost 20 months ago. The MD Expo was held in Las Vegas and I was delighted to see so many familiar faces…yes, their faces, as there were unmasked faces in the booths!
I attended several presentations (all excellent by the way) but I wanted to highlight two that especially resonated with me: (1) Work Orderology presented by David Scott and Alan Gresch, and (2) Cost-Effective Strategies in Healthcare Technology Management, presented by Izabella Gieras. Both focused on creating HTM efficiencies and the power of analytics over anecdotes, i.e., don’t tell me how busy you are, show me the data that quantifies how busy you are! The Work Orderology session was a Venn coupling analytics with efficiencies demonstrated by how many hours HTMs spend on the device versus non-device-related work. Specifically, it broke down like this – 1,001 hours spent on devices, 859 hours on non-device activities. That is a real wake-up call for the need to become more efficient in the area of non-device activities that often take away time with devices.
With the trend of HTMs reporting more and more to the IT department the need for more automated devices in the HTM toolbox becomes apparent. For example, Acertara introduced an updated cloud-based AmpSafe™ electrical leakage ultrasound probe tester that automatically notifies the responsible HTM via email that a specific (via serial number) TEE (transesophageal) probe being processed in central cleaning just failed the electrical leakage test (along with the test report – see below). This instant notification allows the HTM to immediately take action on getting the probe repaired or replaced before someone shows up on their doorstep with a dead probe in their hands! This test device is one in a series of automated test devices that Acertara will be introducing over the coming months.
Until next month,
Wayne
From: AmpSafe Reports <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 3:39 PM
To: Designated HTM
Subject: Leakage Test Result
AmpSafe™ Leakage Test Result
The following test Failed. Details are below:
Probe Information
| Probe Make: | GE |
| Probe Model: | 6VT-D |
| Serial Number: | SN9513 |
Performance Report
| Measured Current: | 126.20uA |
| Failure Threshold: | 100uA |
| Test Outcome: | Failed |
Test Conditions
| Test Date: | 10/25/2021 22:38:57 |
| Institution: | Local Hospital |
| Location: | Anywhere |
| Operator: | John Jones |
| AmpSafe S/N: | SN00005 |
| AmpSafe Calibration Date: | July 28th, 2021 |
| AmpSafe SW Version: | 1.0.0 |
Notes