Download Medical Device - World Health Organization

Medical devices database
a needs-finding tool
Fernando F M PACHECO,1 Mario CORONADO, 1 Zheng WANG,1
1Interns, Medical Devices, Essential Health Technologies, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
Introduction
Database Structure
The World Health Assembly approved resolution WHA60.29 on Health
Technologies in May 2007. This resolution requested the WHO Director-General:
In order to integrate all the existing data into one searchable database we have
linked everything to the medical device. Figure 2 below shows the data structure
and figure 3 relates this to input forms (on Microsoft Access).
"to establish and update regularly an evidence and web-based
Procedure
health technologies database to serve as a clearing house which
will provide guidance on appropriate medical devices according to
levels
of
care,
setting,
environment
and
intended
health
intervention, tailored to the specific needs of country or region;" [1]
This poster highlights the department's efforts at constructing this database and
arose out of a number of summer interns' work in 2010. It involves integrating a
wide range of existing research into one database.
Aims & Objectives
Medical Device
Name
Alternative Name
GMDN Codes
UMDNS Code
GMDN description
Technical Specifications (from CCs)
HTA Links
Infrastructure Requirements
Observations
Use Credentials
Name
ICD9 Code
Notes/Description
Source
Devices Used
Location
Area
Unit
Sub-Unit
Devices Used
Figure 2 – Database structure relating medical device to
facility and pathway (underlined shows connecting element)
Clinical Pathway
Name
ICD10 Code
Field/Specialty
Notes/Description
Links to Published Guidelines
MDG relevance
Author
Procedures employed
Facility
Tier
Type
Number of Beds
Catchment Population
Setting
Region
Source
Locations Present
Our database aims to consolidate existing research (see right) to:
•Store information about the use of medical devices in different healthcare
facility and settings
•Store information about the use of medical devices in different clinical
practice guidelines
•Query above information according to a wide range of criteria
•Be web-based and publically available whilst being selectively updated by
an expert group
Needs-finding
Determining how to equip a healthcare facility
with medical devices is a complex task. It
involves a consideration of service delivered,
infrastructure availability and setting [2].
As a result, a medical devices database can
provide a valuable tool for:
• Member States in healthcare facility
planning
Figure 1 – Poor needs assessment
leads to lack of useful equipment
Figure 3 – Database structure
through input forms (in MS Access)
Use scenarios
Input
• Funding agencies
Data will be inserted by certified users from WHO using input forms or directly
through table importing. This happens at the different levels of the database.
• Industry - respond to global health
concerns [3]
Search
Existing research
Users can search through a combination of data parameters using queries. Here
are some sample searches:
 Devices used in Paediatric Pathways that can be used at health centre level
WHO
 Clinical Pathways/diseases fully treatable in a district hospital
WHO has already undertaken a large part of the research into medical device
distribution. Two sets of medical device lists have been developed by WHO:
 10 most crucial devices at health post level
• Medical Devices per Facility – for Health Post, Health Centre, District
Hospital, Provincial Hospital and Specialized (Teaching) Hospital
• Medical Devices per Disease – relating to device to each step/procedure in a
clinical care guideline at various levels
Both lists contain information from ICD as well as from both Medical Device
Nomenclature systems (GMDN & UMDNS).
Others
Output
Data from above searches can be extracted in a variety of formats, including
PDF table reports, Dynamic forms, Spreadsheet table, Table on Screen
Future Work
This database is expandable with a variety of new data sources from different
member states and organizations, including:
Other centres have also published data on device priority, technical
specifications (i.e. CENETEC – Mexico and Directorate of Biomedical
Engineering – Jordan) and Health Technology Assessment.
 Information from the WHO EHT Baseline Country Survey on Medical Devices
References
In order to make it fully-accessible, this database should be adapted to a webbased platform (SQL or myPHP) and be hosted by WHO.
[1] – WHA60.29 Health Technologies, Resolution from the 60th World Health Assembly (May 2007)
[2]– WHO, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, District Health Facilities – Guidelines for Development & Operations, Manila,
Philippines (1998)
[3] – WHO, Department of Essential Health Technologies, Landscape Analysis – Global Initiative on Health Technologies, Geneva,
Switzerland (July 2009)
 Integration with existing medical device nomenclature systems
Lastly, all information should undergo a thorough expert and evidence-based
medicine review.
Ultimately this database will provide a valuable needs-finding tool for member
states. This will allow for the right equipment in the right place to treat the
right condition.