EBME Forums Forums Management Training Patients discharged with medical equipment

Hi,
We've had several instances recently where patients/relatives have been discharged with medical equipment from our loan library e.g syringe driver or volumetric pump.
Obviously they had training on the device before being allowed to take it. I am aware of the MHRA "checklist for patients discharged from hospital with a medical device"
What do other Trusts do in cases such as this? Do you make them sit some sort of competency test? How do you know that in the case of a adverse incident you're not in the poo?
Thanks, John

Good question. We leave it to our nurse specialists who look after the patients. Hopefully they do it properly. I will check.

How do you manage with the problem of servicing the equipment whilst it is in community? We look after a number of community patients with a wide variety of equipment and are at present chasing up service records.

E-MAT can be interfaced to any Patient Administration System. At our Dewsbury site when a piece of equipment is due to be serviced they can see the demographics of the patient via the Equipment Loans module for address details etc.

Regards,

Paul Stockton
Barwick Systems
http://www.barwicksystems.co.uk
ISO 9001 Registered Firm

Hi JohnA,
Your question about how the patients/carers are trained or their competency assessed, is a very genuine question and people seem to shy away from it. I have been looking into this area for some time and found that the practices vary across the NHS. What I can say for sure is that trusts do train patients/carers before a medical device is issued to them, however, I have not come across any example where the patients'/carers' competency have been assessed. Again, regarding training, I don't think there is any 'systematic' approach. People have to resort to 'common sense' method such as demonstration. And I am also not aware of any standards or guidance either from the DH or from the MHRA which depict how the patients/carers should be trained or their competency assessed. I hope other experienced people out there may put more light on this matter.

Hi JohnA

Within our Trust I have just been delegated the task of assessing and ensuring that "all end users (patients) have access to manufacturers instructions and that users sign statements to the effect that they have recieved instructions on the safe use of devices or equipment." Where carers are taking home infusion devices they will attend a training workshop (group or individual) and they will have their competence assessed. I will then keep a record of this training.

So I guess Im about at the same stage as you with this one!

Hi Sharan

Could you please let us know about what is imperative (legally obligatory) and what is just a 'good-practice'? As you said "all end users (patients) have access to manufacturers instructions and that users sign statements to the effect that they have recieved instructions on the safe use of devices or equipment" Is this required by the law or is just your trust's policy? Again, what do you mean by "... they have recieved instructions on the safe use..."? Do instructions mean manufacturer's instruction materials or training? Thanks

Sur,
I would be interested in knowing how you conducted your research and evidence that this does not happen.

You do not need competency training on all equipment. The type of equipment in question is; MS26 for palliative care, Occassional Syringe pump and pressure mattresses. You will find all the carers and patients have been trained and certainly via EMAT we trace this to the patient detailos and PVI system for recall purposes.

the dietetic pumps fall under same category with swap out.

Our system works extremely well and nothing gets lost in the system.

I think the issue is, Do all MTOs get involved in the clinical care of the patients as part of the loop or not? At Mid Yorks, all Medical Physics Staff form part of the chain, hence the reason for having a robust system.

Our Librarians, visit the wards on daily bais and talk to staff (across all 4 sites), big job, but we do it and it works and all info is inout into EMAT library module.

hope this helps. The message is, get out there, work will all clinical staff including consultants and up to Medical Director Level.

alex

sorry on the paragraph before last, inout should read input.

alex

Why not use the edit facility, Alex?

It's the paper and pencil symbol next to the quotes " " (and I've just used it to edit this).

See https://www.ebme.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/faq