Prairie Dog Tech Adds Powerful New ATP/Surveillance Module to its Flagship Product

Prairie Dog Tech, LLC has recently added a powerful new ATP/Surveillance module to its flagship technology product, THE OBSERVER™ mobile app; the ATP/Surveillance module's purpose is to ensure endoscope cleaning protocols are followed consistently via smart surveillance and immediate feedback. Prairie Dog Tech, LLC's announcement comes on the heels of a pair of Congressional bills that likewise aim to improve device safety and manufacturer accountability.

The new ATP/Surveillance module of THE OBSERVER™ will enable hospitals to be continuously aware and informed of any presence of bacteria on the endoscopes. Mobile notifications stating the presence of bacteria will be sent on daily, weekly and monthly testing schedules. The daily reporting feature will now contain a list of devices that are due or nearly due for testing. Healthcare providers using the app will receive immediate notification when a scope needs to be tested, in addition to the ability to see which scopes are in use. Finally, the app can deliver the results from the most recent ATP and Surveillance testing for each scope in the hospital's inventory.

"With these new ATP and Surveillance capabilities, THE OBSERVER™ empowers healthcare providers and hospitals to be proactive in how they deal with a serious patient safety issue," says David Bassion, Jr., founding member of Prairie Dog Tech, LLC. "We believe our device surveillance solution solves a critical healthcare dilemma without introducing cumbersome new processes or adding to facility overhead. This new module's various features deliver benefits to everyone who works with endoscopes, or who oversees their cleaning, storage and maintenance."

As reported in The Los Angeles Times, the problem of contaminated endoscopes includes duodenoscopes and similar devices, which have been linked to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI's) even more than originally thought. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) requested a thorough investigation of the issue following deaths at two prestigious LA hospitals. The newspaper revealed that as many as 350 patients were exposed to or infected by superbugs between 2010 and 2015. The actual number of could be much higher, as parsing out the cause of a secondary illness is often difficult.

The aforementioned findings motivated Lieu and other lawmakers to craft strong legislation to improve patient safety by reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Two bills are now on a working path through Congress: The Preventing Superbugs and Protecting Patients Act, and The Device Act (Disclosure; and Encouragement of Verification, Innovation, Cleaning, and Efficiency Act of 2016). The latter bill requires endoscope manufacturers to notify the FDA whenever they modify the design or cleaning instructions for their devices. The Preventing Superbugs and Protecting Patients Act, which is companion bill to one brought before the Senate by Patty Murray (D-WA), calls for scientific validation of all cleaning procedures.

"Prairie Dog Tech, LLC endorses any legislation that can improve patient safety," adds Bassion, "and we're happy to contribute to that mission with smart, efficient and forward-thinking technologies."

Source: Prairie Dog Tech, LLC