How To: Hands-On Testing of Medical Devices
Overview
The tragic death of a young child in a Philadelphia emergency room, caused by a malfunctioning medical device, gave birth to a new kind of organization fiercely committed to the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. Since our founding in 1968, ECRI's engineers and scientists have been testing a broad range of medical devices in our independent testing laboratory—the only one of its kind in North America.
What makes ECRI different is our independence. Each evaluation is conducted using a testing methodology developed by clinical reviewers, manufacturers, and internal experts. Our experts are also testing on the behalf of the end user, with a focus on how the technology impacts patients and healthcare providers. Our testing looks at many aspects of the devices and how they will be used in a clinical setting, including unexpected safety concerns.
Join ECRI’s expert Device Evaluation team as they detail our evaluation process, provide examples from current projects, and offer the opportunity to ask questions about how evaluation measures impact devices in your own facility.
Learning Objectives
During this lab webcast, we will discuss:
- How we select devices for evaluation
- Evaluation steps, including development of testing criteria
- How we rate devices
- What you will find in our evaluations
- How you can be involved
Register to view the recording
Speakers
Jason Launders
Director of Operations, Device Evaluation, ECRI
Jason Launders has been at ECRI since 1998 and is currently the director of operations for the Device Evaluation group. Jason’s primary responsibility is managing ECRI’s laboratory-based evaluations of medical technologies. Jason holds a master's degree in medical physics and spent his earlier time at ECRI evaluating a wide range of diagnostic imaging technologies, such as CT, MRI, PACS, and Digital Radiography. Today, he is responsible for developing the content of evaluations to ensure they meet the needs of our clients.
Erin Sparnon
Senior Engineering Manager, Device Evaluation, ECRI
Erin Sparnon is a senior engineering manager in ECRI’s Device Evaluation group, and she leads a team of engineers and analysts in the testing and evaluation of medical devices as well as accident and forensic investigations involving device failures. She provides consulting services for hospitals and health systems and coordinates with ECRI’s risk and patient safety departments to help shape electronic health record (EHR) and HIT safety initiatives. Erin contributed to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority as a Senior Patient Safety Analyst, co-authoring a landmark survey analysis of safety events related to EHRs, a study that received national recognition.
Jeremy Suggs
Senior Engineering Manager, Device Evaluation, ECRI
Jeremy is a Senior Engineering Manager in the Health Devices Group and has been at ECRI for 11 years. Jeremy earned his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in orthopedic biomechanics, specifically looking at the biomechanics of ACL injury and reconstruction and in-vivo knee kinematics after total knee replacement. Prior to coming to ECRI, Jeremy worked in consulting and product development. His consultant activities included providing technical assistance in patent infringement and product liability litigation, review of complaint databases, and analysis of potential injury mechanisms in personal injury litigation. His product development work was primarily in spine implants. His work at ECRI has covered a wide range of medical and hospital-related technologies, including surgical capital and consumable products, disinfection products, physiologic monitoring, patient lifts, clinical communication systems, as well as direct-to-consumer products.