--- title: blog | Michael Stanton (3) description: The ScanCARE Blog provides an abundance of information on all things relating to Surgical Instrument Tracking (3) --- # ScanCARE Blog Browse by All AS/NZS4187 Surgical Instruments standards Product Families Paperless Patient Records Medical Records Management cssd Surgical Instrument Tracking Digital Medical Records Medical Assets UDI AS 5369:2023 AS5369 Instrument Level Tracking QuickShot Tray Level Tracking AS 5369 AS/NZS 4187 AS/NZS 4815 Reprocessing medical devices Sterilisation standards Australia TGA ## Posts by Michael Stanton: ![AS4187:2014 – Do paper based tracking systems still cut it?](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/paper%20records.jpeg) Last month our Company attended the [WHFSS](http://wfhss.com) conference in Brisbane as an exhibitor. While I was there, I had a number of interesting conversations with delegates who were using paper based tracking systems and were feeling that the new requirements of AS4187:2014 were going to substantially increase the amount of paper work that they would need to complete. Some delegates were quite anxious that their paper based system just wouldn’t cut it anymore. Hence their discussions with us. ![NSHQS extend AS4187:2014 implementation deadline](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/year_2021.jpeg) [AS/NZS4187](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/as-nzs4187) Just yesterday, I received an email informing me that the AS 4187 compliance deadline of December this year had been extended. The news surprised me. Our subscription to SAI Global Standards watch would normally have alerted us if there had been an amendment in the standard. So I searched high and low on the SAI Global site and then Standards Australia and then the old trusty Google. However I was unable to find anything. So I mentioned it to our Office Manager who then went off and tried her luck with Google. ![How does six sigma apply to healthcare and medical practice](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/patient_waiting_room.jpeg) [Medical Assets](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/medical-assets) We've all had the experience of sitting in waiting room for what seems and absolute eternity waiting to see a medical professional. Flicking through outdated, dog eared magazines, keeping an eye on the queue, feeling nervous and hoping that it’s your turn next. It’s crazy really, because not only does it create discomfort and dissatisfaction with patients, it also costs the practice significantly in terms of customer satisfaction and higher operating costs. But why does this happen and, more to the point, how can it be improved? ![5 Reasons why traditional EHRs don't cut it for ophthalmic practices](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/DDS_Ophthalmology.png) [Paperless Patient Records](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/paperless-patient-records) [Digital Medical Records](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/digital-medical-records) Traditional EHR systems do not meet ophthalmologists' functional requirements. This is what an August 2011 report published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says. The [paper](http://www.aaojournal.org/article/s0161-6420(11)00374-5/abstract) which is titled ‘Special Requirements for Electronic Health Record Systems in Ophthalmology’ argues that the field of ophthalmology has a number of ‘specialty specific’ requirements that are not taken into consideration by traditional EHR systems. Its abstract reads: ![CSSD Revolution: the Impact of complex instruments on resources](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/Screenshot_2016-08-05_17.10.07.png) [Surgical Instruments](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/surgical-instruments) [cssd](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/cssd) The advances in surgical procedures and surgical instrumentation, over the past 10-20 years has been astounding. Once upon a time, just about every surgical procedure was open surgery and involved simple pivot based stainless steel instruments. These days, surgical instruments are highly complex hybrid material devices. This has led to a quiet revolution in sterilizing departments around the world. Instruments were once simple and tray assembly straightforward. ![What is the real cost of surgical Instrument Laser Etching?](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/3D_barcodes_image.jpeg) [Surgical Instruments](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/surgical-instruments) In my blog post titled "What you need to know about Surgical Instrument Direct Part Marking (DPM)" I wrote about [the laser etching process](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-surgical-instrument-direct-part-marking-dpm). The post discusses what  equipment is required for etching your instruments and the logistic aspects of  the process as well as some of its positives and shortcomings. Today I will revisit some of those concepts but with a wider context as to why you need to etch your instruments. Generally CSSD managers understand the benefits of laser etching, so today we will see why it’s not already done for you when you buy an instrument. ![AS4187 Product Families: How to categorize a General Orthopaedic Set](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/orto_matrix.png) [Surgical Instruments](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/surgical-instruments) [AS/NZS4187](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/as-nzs4187) [Product Families](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/product-families) The new version of AS/NZS 4187 released on the 15th December last year brought some very significant changes to the previous standard. One of the most significant ones being the standards reference to Product Families. ![Staff privileges and security in surgical instrument tracking systems](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/privilege.jpeg) [Surgical Instruments](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/surgical-instruments) Staff privileges and system security are two common features of [surgical instrument tracking](https://www.scancare.com.au/scan-care-activity) systems that we are often asked about. Hourly rates or process costing information, for example, is usually considered confidential and for this reason CSSD and theatre managers need to be able to regulate who can and who cannot access this level of detail. Network IT adminstrators too, have an interest in this topic as they need to ascertain the level of security provided by the tracking application. My experience is that the needs of clinical managers and those of network IT administrators don’t always align. Individual stakeholder requirements warrant careful consideration to achieve successful and sustainable outcomes for all concerned. This post discusses how to navigate the area of staff privileges and security to meet and satisfy all stakeholders' needs.  Short on time? Why not download our handy 1 page User Roles Chart?   ![How to prepare for AS4187 product families compliance deadline](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/steriliser-158874-edited.jpeg) [Surgical Instruments](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/surgical-instruments) [AS/NZS4187](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/as-nzs4187) [Product Families](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/topic/product-families) With the deadline for implementation of AS4187 2014 coming up fast, I thought that it may be worthwhile to take another look at product families. There seems to be a lot of interest in AS4187 and product families and [my blog of August 2015](https://blog.scancare.com.au/blog/how-to-make-sense-of-the-as4187-categorisation-of-instrument-product-families) is by far our most read page on our website. The helpful [categorisation guide](https://www.scancare.com.au/free-guide-to-product-family-categorisation) gets downloaded several times each week. ![NSQHS Mandatory Compliance for Dental Infection control systems](https://blog.scancare.com.au/hubfs/dental_surgery-449125-edited.jpeg) In January 2013, the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) came into effect requiring mandatory compliance for all public and private hospital and day surgeries and the majority of public dental practices. 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