In the survey of MedSun Representatives conducted in 2009, 98 percent of those responding indicated they would recommend participation in MedSun to other health care institutions. The vast majority of respondents (86 percent) indicated that participation in MedSun has had a positive impact on patient safety at their facilities. MedSun provides a variety of programs and tools to support participants’ efforts in improving patient safety related to the use of medical devices at their sites, including:
Monthly Newsletter
MedSun News includes:
Descriptions (without identifiers) of reports received by MedSun
Summaries of medical device problems
Project updates
Information about MedSun educational programs
Summaries of recent FDA actions
"I had actually read in the MedSun newsletter that another hospital had been having the same problem that I had.....MedSun newsletters and Websites give us the information that we need to further investigate a problem and see when there's a bigger picture."
-Art Bartosch, Biomedical Engineer, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
Education Programs
MedSun offers programs designed to increase awareness of medical device issues in participants’ institutions and educate staff about the importance of adverse event reporting. These programs are offered as Webcasts for audiences in targeted areas such as pediatrics, the OR, laboratories, and biomedical engineering.
Special Database Analyses
MedSun participants may request special analyses of the MedSun database, as well as the FDA's Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. MedSun project staff are available to provide assistance with searching MAUDE to ensure quick, quality information retrieval.
“The best thing about the program is the pool of resources available to members including database searches about particular device problems.”
-Lauren Hollenbeck, Market Risk Officer, Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation
Special Alerts
MedSun members receive timely CDRH communications, alerts, public health notifications, and recall notices.
Conferences
MedSun Representatives learn about medical device safety news from FDA representatives and gain knowledge of innovative patient safety initiatives from other MedSun participants.
“Regional meetings and Web-based education are great opportunities to exchange information with FDA and other MedSun hospitals. The feedback we receive from FDA at these forums reinforces that our active participation in MedSun has a positive impact on patient safety at the national level.”
-Jahan Azizi, Healthcare Risk Management Consultant, University of Michigan Health System,
Ann Arbor, MI
Free Patient Safety Materials
Device safety posters and screensavers
Educational materials to encourage reporting
- Recognize, Remove, Report (DVD)
Replays of recent MedSun Webcasts with nursing continuing education contact hours available (CD-ROM)
Customizable slides for staff education (CD-ROM and Website)
A list of tips for reporting medical device adverse events; available on
- badge cards
- posters
- laminated cards that attach to computers