Traceability saves lives

Traceability saves lives

Traceability is the ability to trace all processes from procurement of raw materials to production, consumption and disposal to clarify "when and where the product was produced by whom."

I am a mechanical engineer. I have started my professional life in Renault car factory in my hometown. I was working as a quality engineer in the assembly department, later I became a quality system auditor.

During my working period in automotive industry, I saw that safety, quality and reliability of a part is extremely important for production. To meet all requirements, automotive industry has high level quality standards to give high protection to drivers, passengers and surrounders in case of an accident.

In the assembly line of a car factory, there are thousands of different parts and it is a must to install right pieces on cars without any mistake. For that purpose all parts which are installed on a car mainly have two different numbers to identify them : reference number and lot number. By these two numbers you can trace all parts on a car in their entire life from raw material to aftersales. This tracing process is extremely important and is called as ‘Traceability’. Every car produced on earth has a unique chassis number and a product tree. In this product tree, you can see all parts used on a car with reference numbers and lot numbers. In case of a failure of a part, car manufacturers can trace all faulty parts and can call back all cars with faulty parts. This traceability prevents life of car users.

When I started to deal with medical devices like sterile surgical gowns, surgical drapes and procedure packs, I saw again that safety, quality and reliability are extremely important for operators, patients and surrounders in a theatre. Manufacturers have to give highest level importance to ‘traceability’ of their products, to prevent all users from using faulty products. 

Patient safety during an operation plays an important role in preventing delayed recovery or even mortality and is considered as an indicator of the quality status of health services. Maintaining patient safety is a complex task and involves factors inherent to the environment and human actions. Sterile disposable surgical drapes behave like a barrier between patients and surroundings, and prevent all parties from potential risks during a surgical operation. 

Traceability of gowns and drapes creates a safe environment for both users and manufacturers to use reliable and safe products during an operation. This situation decreases risks of infections, prevents delayed recovery and mortality, increases quality of healthcare services and gives highest level of protection to all parties.

Finally, please take care of the disposable products you buy. Traceability saves lives. 

Written by Sinan Ismail Ceviker