- The Federación Española de Empresas de Tecnología Sanitaria, Fenin, has presented the report “Healthcare Technology to improve patient safety and experience in the hospital setting”, in collaboration with IQVIA.
- Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), adverse events in surgery, pressure ulcers, sepsis, and thromboembolisms are sources of patient harm with significant prevalence in Spain. Combined, they cause more than 11,300 new ICU admissions and an additional cost to the system exceeding 425 million euros per year.
- The majority of these harms are potentially preventable with the adoption and use of technological solutions in hospitals, emphasizing the need to invest in innovation.
According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 1 in 10 patients experiences harm related to medical care, half of which is preventable. Technological innovations play a key role in avoiding sources of harm to patients during hospital stays or mitigating their clinical and economic impact when they occur. This is reflected in the report “Tecnología Sanitaria para mejorar la seguridad y experiencia del paciente en el ámbito hospitalario”, promoted by the Federación Española de Empresas de Tecnología Sanitaria, Fenin, with the collaboration of IQVIA.
The Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal in Madrid hosted the presentation of this report. The Regional Minister of Health of Madrid, Fátima Matute, highlighted that the Community of Madrid “has a plan that positions it as the region with the highest level of planning and documentation in this area, the Patient Safety Strategy of the Madrid Health Service.” Furthermore, she stated that “technology and safety are concepts that must be understood and developed together.”
For his part, Pablo Crespo, Secretary General of Fenin, pointed out that “the safety of professionals and patients throughout the entire care process is a priority for the Healthcare Technology sector. Our industry is a strategic collaborator for healthcare organizations to drive strategies that improve safety in care.”
From a management perspective, Carlos Mingo, Managing Director of the Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, stated that “innovative healthcare technology has transformed hospital management. When technological innovation is incorporated responsibly and with intelligent regulation, the result is better, safer care for our patients and a more efficient work environment for our professionals.”
Sources of Harm: Clinical and Economic Impact
The report quantifies the clinical, healthcare, and economic impact of patient harm and identifies the technological innovation available for its prevention and mitigation.
In this sense, HAIs (with nearly 53,000 annual episodes), adverse events in surgery (15,000), pressure ulcers (7,200), sepsis (7,100), and thromboembolisms (1,400 cases) are the most common causes of “avoidable” patient harm in Spanish hospitals. These avoidable events generate more than 11,300 new ICU admissions each year and an increase in stays in these units of more than 237,000 days. Economically, these events represent an additional cost to the healthcare system exceeding 425 million euros annually.
The document highlights that “investment in these technologies reduces adverse consequences, improves patients’ quality of life, and optimizes healthcare system resources, with long-term savings due to the decrease in additional clinical interventions, hospital stays, and readmission rates.”
Advanced Technologies by Source of Harm
To prevent or mitigate HAIs (Healthcare-Associated Infections), the report lists innovative technologies and medical devices such as devices and systems for the prevention and early diagnosis of HAIs, novel dressings, advanced Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) technologies, and antiseptic and disinfectant agents.
Meanwhile, to prevent or perform an early diagnosis of sepsis, the report highlights the value of—among others—miniaturized MRI technology, PCR and parameter quantification equipment, advanced blood collection devices, automated equipment for satellite blood cultures, and chlorhexidine disinfectant wipes.
To avoid adverse events in surgical blocks, professionals can support their safe practice with advanced surgical robots, computer-assisted navigation systems, 3D planning platforms, smart stapling systems, hemostatic products, or oximetry monitoring.
Furthermore, the use of vascular pneumatic compression systems, anti-embolism elastic stockings, D-dimer detection systems, as well as stents or endoprostheses, facilitate the prevention or early detection of thromboembolisms. Additionally, the incorporation of advanced Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) and other pressure-relief devices in hospitals, along with the use of novel dressings and products for proper skin maintenance, now allow for a more effective approach to pressure ulcers.