Product selection seems like a benign issue. People who work in healthcare want to do what is right, and they select products that make the most sense for their environment in terms of cost, availability, and marketing materials. Product selection is important for so many reasons.
In an effort to prepare for Joint Commission and state surveys, and make inpatient behavioral health units safer for patients, I have seen scores of hospitals make errors in the products they selected. Millions of dollars have gone into patient safety renovations and construction, and unfortunately, millions more have gone into many of those same hospitals due to picking the wrong products the first time. Everyone I have worked with has had the best of intentions. We want to make the environment as safe as reasonably possible and pass regulatory surveys. Many architects, general contractors, plant operations directors, and behavioral health leaders have selected “ligature resistant” door hardware, shower heads, light fixtures, furniture, artwork, sprinkler heads, paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers, towel hooks, etc. using product guides or relying on product manufacturer marketing. This has led to a multitude of regulatory citations, unnecessarily wasting large sums of money, and most importantly, patient suicide. That is the last thing that anyone wants.
Products should be selected in light of the inpatient setting’s layout, patient population, budget, regulatory climate, and awareness of poor patient outcomes related to various products. Without detailed experience collectively with all these variables, products may be selected blindly, and you may just cross your fingers the products are safe and effective. That is too much to risk for such a vulnerable patient population.
