CME Insider's Blog Posts

These days it is hard to imagine a time when

• buildings had doorways that were too narrow for wheelchairs;
• parking lots did not have designated spaces close to an entrance for Americans with mobility challenges; and
• signs forbidding service animals were posted in public buildings.

Through standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) all public buildings and businesses must be accessible to everyone. Today website accessibility for hearing and sight impairment as well as disabilities that affect the ability to grasp and use a mouse are hot topics.

But accessibility is about more than buildings and web browsing. It is also about ensuring medical equipment is not a barrier to comprehensive and accurate healthcare for people with mobility challenges.

For example, how thoroughly can a healthcare provider examine a patient in a wheelchair versus examining that same patient on an exam table?

In mythology, a Greek sphinx posed this riddle “What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet in midday, and three feet in the evening?”

The answer is humans.  We crawl on all fours in the morning of life, walk on two feet in the midday of life, and may use a cane for extra support in old age.”

What beautiful imagery of age diversity.

For healthcare providers with finite budgets and exam room space the question of how to accommodate age diversity without compromising patient experience is a conundrum. Can one box exam table actually be used for all age groups?

The answer of course is, yes, with the Versa Exam Table by Brewer.

These days understanding why a patient is satisfied (or dissatisfied) is key to creating positive future experiences.

Experience encompasses more than the overall perception of care that is often based on preconceived ideas. The ease of making an appointment and interacting with medical personnel, the environment of the medical facility, understanding of treatment plans, post visit or procedure instructions, and financial arrangements all contribute to a patient’s experience.

And let’s not underestimate the impact the little things like the comfort of medical devices and equipment can have on a patient’s experience.

Caregivers grumble about equipment that has stopped working… again. Accountants are concerned about spending. Headlines scream that landfills are full.

Should you replace medical equipment or repair it?

For many healthcare facilities the knee jerk response is to repair. Unfortunately, in the long run, this can be costly on multiple levels, including public perception.

Not to mention that over time manufacturers make business decisions to stop producing replacement parts for older products they would like to phase out completely.

Replace or repair? It’s a conundrum.

How do You Decide?

First, consider these two questions:

Together Everyone Achieves More

Sometimes it feels like “teamwork” has been a buzz word forever. Teamwork related motivational quotes grace the walls of businesses, schools, and even healthcare facilities. Whether you embrace teamwork or are fed up with all the hype, the reality is that a cohesive group of people, with each member contributing to a specific task can, and does, accomplish amazing things.

Take an operating room team for example. For routine surgery there are between 6 and 10 medical personnel scrubbed and performing specific roles. The team includes the Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Nurse Anesthetist, 2-4 Scrub Techs, Circulating Tech, Nurse(s), and in some cases medical students. Then there are the mind-boggling surgical feats of medical science, the separation of conjoined twins for example, that require a surgical team of more than thirty. These teams of doctors, nurses, and OR staff ensure the best possible outcome for patients by performing their individual roles while, at the same time, working together.

Team CME

Outside operating rooms teamwork is just as vital to medical equipment distributors providing the healthcare industry with access to the capital medical equipment needed to ensure patient satisfaction.