Endoscope reprocessing
human qualities, expertise and experiences”.4 It is not only about developing new
innovations – looking across industries is equally important. Are there innovations from other sectors that could be implemented in the reprocessing room? Take for example UV- Smart, a Dutch provider of medical disinfection equipment. As Prof. Guido van den Broek, Consultant ENT Surgery at Radboud University Medical Center, explained during the Hygiene Event: “The current disinfection process is very time consuming. Disinfection normally takes about 40 minutes, and additional drying is also needed”.4
UV-Smart provides AER solutions,
such as the D60, which use the same UVC-light technologies that are used to disinfect phones and tablets. In just 60 seconds these machines disinfect channel-less ENT endoscopes.9 This significantly improves the efficiency of the reprocessing cycle, while upholding high standards of infection prevention. These are just a few examples of how smart
R&D processes can improve the reprocessing cycle. One element of this is observing other industries and understanding whether their technologies can be applied in the endoscopic field. Synergising these practices means that stringent hygiene standards are maintained, and even improved, while the throughput is increased, stressors on staff members are reduced and waste is minimised. Ultimately, the endoscopic field must continue challenging itself to enable holistic innovations that safeguard people and the planet.
Implementing sustainable design principles For innovation practices to be smart and strategic, it is important that medical device manufacturers codify their product
Prof. Guido van den Broek, Consultant ENT Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center
development processes. This should include perspectives on patient safety and clinical use, but also on how environmental impacts can be mitigated. Specifying these principles encourages product developers and engineers to create solutions that contribute to a company’s vision. This codification can be informed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),10
which provide a useful holistic
framework. Organisations can prioritise several SDGs and encourage their R&D departments to attune their innovations towards this selection. Alongside this, corporations can set up their
own sustainable design principles, which is something that PENTAX Medical recently did. Figure 1 outlines different aspects that R&D departments must consider during the product development process. These considerations include device design, materials, packaging, distribution, disposal and production, which encourages developers to reflect on the holistic impact of their innovations. This codified design principle also ensures that new solutions are always in line with the PENTAX Medical vision
of balancing patient safety with the inevitable impact on the environment and climate. AquaTYPHOON was the first innovation where this design principle was implemented during the product development process, and its manifold benefits to the reprocessing cycle underline how helpful such codifications are. The success of AquaTYPHOON is just one of many examples that speaks to the power of implementing sustainable design principles. It is an important reminder that all organisations should codify such design principles and streamline their strategic R&D approaches. This supports the development of innovations that are in line with a corporation’s view on sustainability and patient safety.
Collaboration as the cornerstone to success People are at the end of all endoscopic products – whether it’s patients or practitioners. By working together with practitioners and understanding their problems, innovations that truly address a clinical unmet need and minimise infection risks are created. Alongside strategic internal processes, it is therefore similarly important to include external experts in the R&D process. This is why the PENTAX Medical BlackBox Innovations programme was initiated, which involves end-users in the product development process.11 Clinicians are invited to discuss their daily
clinical practice, the unmet needs that they identified, and to engage with prototypes of products. Practices like this ensure that medical device manufacturers do not develop solutions in a vacuum without consultation from practitioners, but instead create market-based products that directly address physician’s needs. As Prof. Shaji Sebastian, Consultant
Gastroenterologist, IBD Unit, Hull University Teaching Hospitals, claimed during the 2023 Hygiene Event: “Endoscopy needs to reinvent itself. We need to be part of the solution, not the problem. The key is working together with industry.”12 This does not only hold for the product
Fig 1. R&D considerations for sustainable product development 54
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I January 2024
development process, but it also holds for platforms where experts can speak about their experiences in daily clinical practices. An example of this is the yearly PENTAX Medical Hygiene Event, whereby leading international endoscopists and reprocessing nurses come together. This year’s theme was ‘Finding the Balance: Hygiene and Sustainability in Endoscopy’ and specialists from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States, discussed smart and sustainable innovations in endoscopy. Providing such spaces for expert discussions creates the
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