AseptiScope

Oct 22, 2024, San Diego, CA -- AseptiScope’s CEO and Co-Founder Scott Mader was featured on Fox News Media's The LOCAList SD! “Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) cost us thousands of patients' lives and billions of dollars every year in the US. And while hospitals are very diligent about hand hygiene, it turns out the stethoscopes that touch us constantly are spreading those same germs.” Check the comments for the link to the full interview! #startup #medicaldevice #innovation #patientsafety

Data from Press Ganey demonstrates patient safety expectations in healthcare settings are growing. Improving patient experience is not just about satisfaction. CAHPS Surveys measure patient experience. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), improving patient satisfaction is a different distinction from patient experience. Because satisfaction responses can vary greatly based on patients' expectations, two patients who received the exact same care may have varying satisfaction. Meanwhile, assessing patient experience requires finding out whether something that should have happened in the healthcare setting, did happen. What's an easy way for patients to know for sure that the stethoscope that touches them directly is clean? An aseptic barrier, applied right before auscultation. The DiskCover® System is a visible solution to elevating patient protection from the stethoscope.

🔔 Healthcare Budgets are Ramping Up to Support Improved Patient Experience! More organizations are recognizing that positive patient outcomes are directly linked to patient-centered care, and they’re adjusting their budgets accordingly. An October 15th survey from Gozio Health asked 100 healthcare leaders about healthcare digital transformation and patient safety. 78% of participants anticipate their budgets for patient experience technologies to increase over the next 12 months.

Newly published in NEJM Group's The New England Journal of Medicine current edition: An important review of Candida auris infections. C. auris is highly problematic in healthcare settings because: - It colonizes and survives for long periods on human skin and medical devices. - It has the resistant ability to form multilayer biofilms and survive in hair follicles and crevices resist decontamination. - C. auris–associated candidemia and invasive candidiasis can be life threatening, with reported crude case fatality rates ranging between 30 and 60%. The most concerning challenge with Candida in healthcare practice settings is its transmission. Defining the most effective strategies for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of C. auris infections may curb its spread and improve clinical outcomes. Cleaning the stethoscope diaphragm effectively, thoroughly, consistently is challenging and imperfect. Between-patient disinfection of the stethoscope has never been tenable, and compliance rates have been observed to be in the single digits. Why is The DiskCover® System a uniquely valuable tool for breaking stethoscope transmission of MDRO’S including Candida (resistant fungal), C. Diff (Resistant Spores)? The DiskCover System: - Ensures totally clean point of contact for stethoscope exams (Vasudevan) - Is “dedicated medical equipment” which is recommended, wherever possible, to be implemented - Is “single-use”, which is recommended, wherever possible, to be implemented Let us know if you have any questions or comments below!

"We can't wash our way out of this." Stethoscope hygiene requires good antimicrobial stewardship. Antibiotic prescriptions are not the only contributors to antimicrobial resistance! During this World Health Organization World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, AseptiScope highlights the importance of ensuring healthcare hygiene practices do not also contribute to antimicrobial resistance. A 2023 publication in the American Journal of Medicine titled "Our Third Hand: Stethoscope Hygiene in the Era of Alcohol-Resistant Organisms", highlights this key idea. Studies revealed pathogens have developed resistance to isopropyl alcohol over the past few decades, such as E. faecium which has demonstrated a 23% decrease in isopropyl alcohol effectiveness on contemporary strains compared to ones from 1997. Designed specifically to be antimicrobial-free, The DiskCover® System enables clinicians to practice both good stethoscope hygiene and antimicrobial stewardship!

AseptiScope supports the World Health Organization World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (November 18-24, 2024)! EDUCATE. ADVOCATE. ACT NOW.

On this Veterans Day, AseptiScope is proud to affirm our support for the health and safety of our nation’s heroes. At VA Health centers, patient safety is important, and recent data from Press Ganey and Compass One validates patients' growing expectations for a clean hospital environment and exceptional care. We're proud to support patient safety efforts for veterans by enabling VA Health clinicians to easily and effectively protect veteran patients from the dangerous contaminants commonly found on stethoscopes. Today, and every day, we honor veterans by working to protect their health. #VeteransDay #PatientCare #VeteranHealth #StethoscopeHygiene

CLABSI Reduction Bundles are an evidence-based approach that have become a widely accepted intervention to help reduce CLABSI healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates in multiple healthcare settings. Each component of the bundle targets a specific aspect of care, and when implemented together, they dramatically reduce infection rates. Contaminated stethoscopes may potentially undermine important infection prevention efforts. Does your HAI prevention bundle address stethoscope hygiene? #InfectionPrevention #bundling #CLABSI #healthcare

Clinicians: Does your healthcare facility have stethoscope hygiene policy & procedures (P&Ps)?

Experienced clinicians know: “Guidelines” are more than just training. This year, the CDC proposed a few remarkable updates*: First, the CDC clarified the conceptual framework of transmission, focusing on transmission elements relevant to healthcare settings. And for the first time, shared medical equipment emerged as having the same transmission category as unwashed hands. For example, stethoscopes went from “non-critical” devices to significant reservoirs for the transmission of pathogens via touch. 📢 “Transmission can involve intermediary reservoirs.” Says the CDC draft guidelines. “Potential reservoirs include... shared medical equipment (e.g., stethoscopes…)” The CDC also addressed dedicating equipment to the patient: 📢 “Patient-care equipment (e.g.,… stethoscopes) is ideally dedicated to the patient. Disposable equipment may be used to minimize cross-transmission.” Not only should hygiene tools be standard, but also accessible. The draft guideline clarified that healthcare facilities should ensure: • Hygiene tools are easy to find at points of care (POCs) • All personnel know the proper use case of each item In short, the CDC’s practical standards are putting patient protection first. And rightfully so, as healthcare becomes more demanding, infections more costly, and patients more aware of their well-being. Clinicians know the real value of hygiene practices: it’s more than just training. Standard protocols streamline patient protection and make clinicians’ jobs easier. •••••••• 🩺 For the first time, you can now examinate your patient touch-free. The DiskCover System takes 2 seconds, no formal training, and provides an aseptic surface for auscultation. It is visual proof that your facility is ensuring patient safety. Interested in trying the touch-free barrier? Send the direct message "Touch-free" to AseptiScope's inbox to learn more! *Source: CDC Draft 2024 Guideline to Prevent Transmission of Pathogens in Healthcare Settings