E-Books
Journals & Magazine Articles
Newspapers
Reports & Statistics
Specialist Resources
Videos
The Device Evaluation Plus database is a specialised electronic resource introducing medical equipment used in acute care settings, such as hospitals and hospices. Examples of the equipment covered include electric hospital beds, infusion pumps and hemodialysis units.
The database also includes a vendor guide for users who wish to look up a particular biomedical company quickly. Information about device emergency recalls and reported problems from across the world are also available.
As the database content is very specialised, it is likely to be of interest primarily to biomedical staff and students. Email asklib@tp.edu.sg if you require the login credentials.
The Device Comparison Guide allows you to browse medical devices by category. Filtering by the department which the equipment is used is also possible. For example, you could select only devices which are used in a laboratory setting.
The guide displays a listing of the device's technical specifications (supplied by the manufacturer). Users can then add multiple related devices together to compare them at a glance.
Although the Device Comparison Guide was mainly designed as a purchasing aid, staff and students may still find it useful to understand the common technical specifications across devices.
Have more questions? Read the detailed guide here (requires login).
The Evaluations & Guidance section features device evaluations written by ECRI staff. Topics covered include safety, effectiveness and cost among others. An overall rating of 1-5 stars is awarded based on the effectiveness of the device as compared to it's competitors.
This application will likely be useful for staff and students who wish to obtain in-depth information regarding a specific medical device.
Are you more of a visual learner?
Device Evaluations aren't just available in article format! Webcasts and video demonstrations are also available at this link.
The Healthcare Product Alerts contains information regarding complaints and feedback received regarding any medical device. A priority rating ranging from Critical, High to Normal is also provided to indicate the severity of the product alert.
The FDA Classification rating is also provided where available. Class I indicates devices with the lowest risk to the patient, while class III has the highest risk.
The Universal Medical Device Nomenclature System (UMDNS) is a recognised, standardised international code for identifying medical devices. It is also used for communications about medical devices, such as across language barriers. It is created and maintained by the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI).
The Global Medical Devices Nomenclature System (GMDN) is another international code, with similar functions. It is created and maintained by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and medical device experts. The above two codes are the most commonly used globally.
Further reading from the World Health Organisation is available here.