8 min
3.7.2026
When data flows - the healthcare system becomes more efficient (III)
Text
Karen Gahrn
Photo:
GS1 Global
When a buyer, a logistics employee, and an operating room nurse have different information about medical equipment, problems arise quickly.
Perhaps the wrong item is ordered. Perhaps important information about storage or usage is missing. And in the worst case, it can have consequences for patient care.
That is why regions and suppliers are currently working with GS1 to establish a common language for product master data for medical equipment.
– Product master data is all the information about a product that does not change during the item's journey from manufacturer to patient. This could be size, weight, image, storage temperature, user manual, or how the product should be disposed of. You can compare it to all the information you can see about a liter of milk on the nemlig.com website, says Anne Marie Lei, Head of Healthcare at GS1 Denmark.
Although product master data might sound like a technical term, in practice, it is the fundamental information that makes the entire supply chain function – from procurement and inventory management to clinical use.
Product master data is all the information about a product that does not change during the item's journey from manufacturer to patient.
From many spreadsheets to one common model
Medical equipment accounts for about 80 percent of the regions' procurement. Yet, historically, product data has been shared in different formats and with different requirements depending on the recipient.
– You could say that right now it's a bit of a mess out there. Different information is requested in different formats, and that makes it difficult to improve data quality, says Anne Marie Lei.
The consequence is often manual work, duplicate registrations, and clinicians who have to spend time looking for information that should be easily accessible.
To solve this challenge, regions, suppliers, and GS1 Denmark have agreed to use a uniform dataset for medical equipment based on the European data model ECHO. You could say that the goal is to create a common language for the information that must follow medical equipment throughout its entire lifecycle.
– We saw an opportunity to make it easier for manufacturers, importers, and distributors, who could avoid the many spreadsheets, and for the data recipients, who could rely on a single source and thus work more systematically with data quality, she says.
Medical equipment accounts for about 80 percent of the regions' procurement. Yet, historically, product data has been shared in different formats and with different requirements depending on the recipient.
– You could say that right now it's a bit of a mess out there. Different information is requested in different formats, and that makes it difficult to improve data quality, says Anne Marie Lei.
The consequence is often manual work, duplicate registrations, and clinicians who have to spend time looking for information that should be easily accessible.
To solve this challenge, regions, suppliers, and GS1 Denmark have agreed to use a uniform dataset for medical equipment based on the European data model ECHO. You could say that the goal is to create a common language for the information that must follow medical equipment throughout its entire lifecycle.
– We saw an opportunity to make it easier for manufacturers, importers, and distributors, who could avoid the many spreadsheets, and for the data recipients, who could rely on a single source and thus work more systematically with data quality, she says.
One single source of truth
When product information varies from system to system, it affects more than just administration. It can also impact operations and patient safety.
"Medical devices like implants are a prime example. You might have to cancel a surgery if the wrong item was ordered. That costs both time and money," says Anne Marie Lei.
Danish hospitals purchase medical equipment worth 30 billion kroner annually. Therefore, accurate and accessible product data is a prerequisite for ensuring that equipment is in the right place at the right time and is used correctly.
"When there is one single source of truth about a product, the supply chain becomes more robust and efficient," she says.
Infrastructure for vital information
The value of master product data lies not only in the information itself, but also in the infrastructure that enables it to be shared securely and consistently between manufacturers, suppliers, and regions.
Therefore, the work is not just about defining data, but also about establishing systems and standards that ensure information can be reused across organizations and IT systems.
"We have created a common dataset based on our standard instead of using spreadsheets back and forth. It requires effort from all parties, but in return, we get a common language that allows regions and suppliers to communicate," says Anne Marie Lei.
The regions are in the process of adapting their systems to the new model, while manufacturers are continuously incorporating more data. The goal is a more cohesive and scalable infrastructure where reliable product data can be shared and reused across the healthcare system.
"Master product data is not just a technical register. It is a strategic foundation for better decision-making, more robust supply chains, and a healthcare system where staff can spend less time searching for information – and more time on patients."
