An innovative device, designed to make regional anaesthesia safer, has been awarded ‘Patient Safety Innovation of the Year’ at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards.
Invented by clinicians at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust (QEH) and developed in conjunction with medical device company Medovate, SAFIRA (SAFer Injection for Regional Anaesthesia) was recognised for its outstanding contribution to healthcare, fighting off competition from hundreds of applicants, with the judging panel highlighting its unique benefits for patient care:
The judges felt that this was "an outstanding example of healthcare innovation" which clearly improved safety for both patients and staff, and commented that it demonstrated "a reduction in known risk, with opportunity to enhance the patient experience, as well as contributing to the Greener NHS agenda."
SAFIRA improves patient safety during regional anaesthesia (RA) by automatically limiting injection pressure thereby reducing the risk of nerve injury in patients. It also puts control of injection fully in the hands of the anaesthetist making it a single operator procedure.
The device was taken through the entire development pathway, from regulatory approval to market launch, by Cambridge based Medovate and is now available globally.
Dr. Frankie Swords, medical director at QEH, said: “We are absolutely delighted that this exciting innovation, which has been developed by clinicians at QEH, was awarded Patient Safety Innovation of the Year. At QEH we are passionate about research and innovation which is critical to improving patient care, so I am delighted that we are leading the way on this. It is an incredible achievement, and we are extremely proud of everyone involved.”
The Patient Safety Awards celebrate the teams at the frontline pushing the boundaries of patient safety and driving cultural change to minimise risk, enhance quality of care and ultimately save lives.
Stuart Thomson, managing director at Medovate, added: “This is a great honour for everyone involved. There are approximately 20 million nerve blocks performed across Europe and the US per year and any nerve damage associated with these procedures can be potentially life changing for a patient.
The awards took place during the two-day Patient Safety Congress in Manchester and were deliberated upon by 125 judges over a two-stage process. In total, there were 23 categories to judge, with 8 innovative projects shortlisted in each category.
The full list of finalists for the 2021 HSJ Patient Safety Awards can be found here: https://www.hsj.co.uk/patient-safety-awards/winners-of-hsj-patient-safety-awards-2021-revealed/7030921.article
