Data saves time – and ultimately, patients

When a purchaser, a logistics employee, and an operating room nurse have different information about medical devices, problems arise quickly. Perhaps the wrong item is ordered. Perhaps critical information about storage or usage is missing. And in the worst-case scenario, it can have consequences for patient care.

That is why regions and suppliers are currently working with GS1 to establish a common language for medical device master data.

– Master data consists of all the information about a product that does not change during its journey from manufacturer to patient. This includes size, weight, images, storage temperature, user manuals, or how the product should be disposed of. You can compare it to all the information you see about a carton of milk on a grocery website, says Anne Marie Lei, Head of Healthcare at GS1 Denmark.

Although master data may 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.

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Master data consists of all the information about a product that does not change during its journey from manufacturer to patient.

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From many spreadsheets to one common model

Medical devices account for about 80 percent of regional procurement. Yet, historically, product data has been shared in various formats and with different requirements depending on the recipient.

– You could say that it is a bit of a mess out there right now. Different information is requested in different formats, which makes it difficult to improve data quality, says Anne Marie Lei.

The consequence is often manual work, duplicate entries, and clinicians having to spend time searching 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 devices based on the European data model, ECHO. You could say the goal is to create a common language for the information that must follow medical devices throughout their entire lifecycle.

– We saw an opportunity to make things easier for manufacturers, importers, and distributors, who could get rid of the many spreadsheets, and for data recipients, who could rely on a single source and thus work more systematically with data quality, she says.

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One single source of truth

When product information differs from system to system, it affects more than just administration. It can also impact operations and patient safety.

– Medical devices like implants are a good 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.

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Infrastructure for vital information

The value of master product data lies not only in the information itself. It also lies in the infrastructure that makes it possible to share that data 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 everywhere. It requires effort from all parties, but in return, we get a common language that regions and suppliers can use 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 sector.

– Master product data is not just a technical register. It is a strategic foundation for better decisions, more robust supply chains, and a healthcare system where staff can spend less time searching for information – and more time on patients.