PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA--Reuse of single-use medical devices (SUDs) is controversial. Patient safety has been reported as an area of concern with the reuse of reprocessed SUDs. Healthcare facilities must determine whether the potential cost savings are worth the perceived risk. ECRI, an independent, nonprofit health services research agency, will host an audio conference on reuse of SUDs on September 20, 2006, the third conference in the Roadmap to Patient Safety series.

Participants will learn how to implement a reuse program. The audio conference will focus on real risks associated with SUD reuse. The practice of reuse is strictly regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whether facilities are reprocessing medical devices in-house or through third-party reprocessors. ECRI will outline the decision process and discuss best practices.

Healthcare facilities can gain insight on the perceived and actual risks associated with reuse, as well as information on regulations, and ethical issues during the September 20, 2006, audio conference, "Reuse of Single-Use Devices--Is It Right for Your Hospital?" The audio conference will be held from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. EDT (12:00 to 1:15 p.m. CDT, 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. MDT, 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. PDT), will feature expert speakers who will discuss:
# Potential cost savings
# Discussing myths of unsafe reuse and other safety concerns
# Decision process and best practices
# Legal and ethical issues

The registration fee is $139 for members of ECRI's Health Devices System, Health Devices Gold, and SELECTplus^TM programs and Healthcare Risk Control System and $239 for nonmembers. The deadline for registration and payment is Friday, September 15, 2006. Visit www.ecri.org/audioconferences to register.

Conference recordings and course materials for "Reuse of Single-Use Devices--Is It Right for Your Hospital?" are also available for purchase on audio CD or CD-ROM toolkit for PC use. For those who missed ECRI's previous audio conferences, "Implementing Safer Infusion Technologies" (May 17, 2006), "Endoscope Reprocessing Best Practices" (March 15, 2006), "Emergency Readiness: Technology Planning, Response, and Recovery" (November 17, 2005), "MRI Safety and Medical Devices" (September 21, 2005), "Radio-Frequency Identification for Tracking Medical Devices: Planning for Today and Tomorrow" (May 18, 2005), and "Electrosurgery and Patient Safety: Critical Measures for Minimizing Risk" (March 16, 2005), recordings with conference materials are still available for purchase.

To register for this audio conference, or to order conference recordings and materials from past seminars, contact ECRI by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891; by e-mail at circulation2(at)ecri.org; by fax at (610) 834-0240; or by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA.

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