There are a lot of products that are advertised as suitable for use in a medical environment but merely meet the electrical specification and are coloured white to make them look medical. So, I thought I would publish a brief principle to apply when considering the purchase of a computer or tablet for use in a medical environment that follows the acronym A.C.E:
A is for Antimicrobial - to prevent against infections, such as C-DIF or DNV, there must be some element of antimicrobial protection. This is often achieved by adding a silver-nitrate coating during manufacture, whilst this does provide protection the coating eventually wears off compromising the antimicrobial nature of the device. A much better solution is to source a device that uses antimicrobial materials in the production of a device meaning that it will have resistance to pathogens throughout it’s useful life.
C is for Cleanable - in an environment where one cannot always prevent a device encountering fluids, it is important that there is an element of ingress protection, in technical terms a high IP rating. A high IP rating also facilitates cleaning of the device, however, the device must also be manufactured from material that cannot be damaged by the chemicals used in a regular cleaning regime.
E is for Electrics –a device must be safe to use in an environment where oxygen and other inflammable gases and substances are in use, for that the device AND its accompanying power supply need to be ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1 certified or equivalent which is the baseline of requirements for the safety and essential performance of all electrical equipment used in the general medical and patient environment.
Whilst the application of the A.C.E principle will ensure the suitability of a device there are some additional considerations for a device being used in a business rather than consumer environment such as durability. Products such as iPads and other tablets are used extensively in medical and patient settings and in addition to not meeting the criteria mentioned above, they are also designed for personal rather than business environment. Yes, they often have an amazing IP rating, but they are rarely durable, with many organisations seeing in excess of 70% of their tablets damaged annually. In addition to this, iPad are ‘eye candy’ and are regularly stolen despite them being secure enough to prevent unauthorised people from accessing them. Ruggedized tablets for use in a medical environment tend to be bulky; providing both a protection from damage but also making them less attractive to would be magpies.
Rugged 13.3" Medical Tablet
by DT Research
Finally, it is not enough ensuring that a PC or tablet is suitable for use in a medical or patient environment, one all needs to consider the accessories being used, especially keyboards. A study published in 2016 found that keyboards were 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat, yet one sees keyboards used in medical environments that are not protected even to the minimum standards, sometimes ironically used in conjunction with expensive equipment with the necessary level of protection. Keyboards that are antimicrobial and cleanable – the two features for consideration here – are more expensive than their non-medical counterparts but saving cost here can invalidate all the investment made elsewhere in suitable equipment.
Glass Keyboard
by AccuMed
COVID, C-Diff and MRSA are no longer headline news, but the control of hospital acquired infections is a persistent battle in healthcare. The WHO is already working on identifying the source of the next global pandemic and there are several candidates already at large in the world; from Mers carrying camels in North Africa to bats with the Nipah virus in Asia. Healthcare organisations must ensure that both staff and patients have sufficient protection against such infections as well as those ever present in our society and PC’s, tablets, and their peripherals must present a line of defence to enable them to do this.
Comments