Prairie Dog Tech, LLC, a company leveraging technology to address health care challenges, has announced the release of THE OBSERVER. As a first-of-its-kind endoscope tracking system, THE OBSERVER provides health care professionals with timely data and alerts on device status, while significantly improving patient safety.
Medical horror stories involving inadequately disinfected medical equipment have been making headlines recently. The LA Times reported on superbug outbreaks at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai, where more than 200 patients may have been exposed to contaminated endoscopes. Three patients later died from infection. Experts think the real numbers could be much higher, as many patients who have endoscopic procedures are already quite ill, and pinpointing the root cause of an infection can be difficult.
"Our technology will change the way endoscopes and other medical devices are maintained," says David Bassion Jr, founding member of Prairie Dog Tech. "THE OBSERVER will absolutely save time, money and most importantly lives. As a truly independent solution for endoscope maintenance, the app will reduce the need for expensive oversight and self-policing. Unbiased data from the app can be used to refine processes, spot potential problems before they grow, and develop best practices for new tools and procedures."
Prairie Dog Tech, LLC has brought a spirit of innovation to the health care industry seeing a problem and working toward a viable solution. The problem in this case is that endoscopes, like many medical devices, are designed to be re-used hundreds or thousands of times. Cleaning and storage procedures must be flawless. Each year, millions of Americans undergo the most common type of endoscopic procedure. Therefore, improper cleaning, handling and storage of these medical devices has a broad impact.
THE OBSERVER is a hands-free, independent and real-time solution to the problem of medical device cleaning and maintenance. Doctors and administrators both have 24/7 access to data via the mobile app. The dashboard offers a quick view of where a device is in the reprocessing cycle. As doctors scrub in before a procedure, they can instantly confirm that all equipment has been disinfected properly. Administrators can be alerted immediately whenever a device skips a necessary step or a certain threshold is not met. Likewise, device history data can be employed to develop precise maintenance and purchasing plans.
Versatility is one of the key benefits of THE OBSERVER. The app works with all types of re-usable medical equipment, any room layout and any procedure. Health care providers can customize variables like time and temps, or set limits to how much time a device must remain in a specific cleaning phase.
"Even at the world's most respected hospitals, infection control sometimes has gaps, leaving patients vulnerable to illness," adds Bassion. "THE OBSERVER fills those gaps and ensures that cleaning protocols are followed 100 per cent of the time. We envision this mobile app as a solution that goes beyond mere technology by providing a tool for effective communication at every level of health care."