Focus on patient safety - "Medical devices. Using them well... to prevent the worst."

Context

Among the errors related to health products taken from the care-related serious adverse events database received by the HAS from March 2017 to 31 December 2019, a little over 25% are errors related to incorrect use of medical devices, combined for more than 60% of those cases with the use of medicinal products on the never events list. Medical device misuse occurs in many forms.

Objectives

By sharing this feedback from healthcare professionals confronted with theses serious adverse events, this information sheet can be used both to alert as to the recurrence of serious adverse events and their consequences due to medical device misuse and raise awareness as to good practice guidelines.

So it doesn’t happen again

Further to analysis of the root causes, this information sheet highlights the barrier principles for avoiding them, such as taking user’s opinions into account when purchasing a new model as far as possible.

Furthermore, training of healthcare professionals in the devices they will be brought to use appears essential.

This safety information sheet was devised in collaboration with the drug, medical device and therapeutic innovation observatory (Observatoires du Médicament, des Dispositifs médicaux et de l'Innovation Thérapeutique - OMéDIT), which makes it possible to pool tools available to professionals, while offering them the opportunity to self-asses, to assess their organisation or to train, at regional level, in liaison with the OMéDIT (E-learning, training on good administration and programming practices, etc.).