"Developing the solution is great, but seeing the problem first-hand and keeping in communication with the customer can be one the greatest time-saving techniques at your disposal. So make sure you’re taking the time to get out and see those for whom your products are designed."
by Jeff Reinke, Editorial Director, PD&D
I’m a lucky guy. For a couple of reasons, but today it’s because I really enjoy my job. As diverse as the personalities that manage them are the wide range of marketplaces that our different properties here at Advantage Business Media serve. I was fortunate enough to get a taste of just how diverse we as a company are last week while working with editors from both Food Manufacturing and Surgical Products.
The names of these properties pretty much say it all. One goes to food processing professionals, while the other targets surgeons, OR nurses and those who influence surgical product purchasing. So basically, both are end-users of the products you spec out and design. And just like you, each of these audiences has some unique critical issues that the editors of these publications strive to help them address.
As you might imagine, this list is pretty long and rather intense for someone working in a hospital. But one thing you might not think too much about is the absolutely life-rendering consequences that can be realized by something as simple as how a patient is positioned during an operation. Now, I’m not talking about comfort, accessibility or a couple bumps and bruises that might result from less than tender care. I’m referencing mistakes that can result in amputations, paralysis or even death – just from the way a limb was positioned or an adjustment that was needed during a procedure.
On a lesser level, even if a patient is involved in a longer procedure that involves very little manipulation, surgeons and nurses need to be aware of things called pressure ulcers, which can result from a lack of appropriate support during surgery. Essentially, excess weight or improper positioning can cause stress on tissues, damaging them and the surrounding skin. Not only are these lesions very painful, but they lengthen hospital stays and can cost up to $90,000 to treat – a bill that is solely the responsibility of the hospital because of recent legislation that classifies these ulcers as “never events”.
Never events describe ailments produced by the surgery, but unrelated to the actual reason for the operation. Because they stem from caregiver error, the hospital has to cover the costs. So products that help prevent pressure ulcers are key in maintaining patient safety and in managing a hospital’s cost controls.
Transitioning from the expensive and scary to the passionate yet odd, I’ll try and segue to the food processing industry. Here, plant managers often have to deal with complaints and protests from PETA. Although the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is usually well intended, one of their recent campaigns really made me scratch my head. It seems the folks at PETA are very concerned about the well-being of fish. They consider fishing a cruel and unnecessary activity and have allocated funds to show that fish do indeed feel pain and register emotions on the same level as cats and dogs.
They’re so adamant about trying to change the general perception of fishing as an acceptable activity that they’ve launched a campaign called “Save the Sea Kittens”. You see, the term fish evokes notions of a cold, wet, slippery animal without arms, legs or emotions. Evidently the term “sea kitten” is thought to help reinforce the fact that these cold, wet, slippery animals without arms or legs have feelings, and that people should think twice about harvesting them, cleaning them, throwing on a coating of Italian bread crumbs and gently frying them up with butter and seasoned salt like I did this past weekend.
Although PETA is no fan of weekend fishermen like me, a bigger target is the seafood processor who brings these “sea kitten” morsels to restaurants and grocery stores. It’s an issue that they must constantly deal with and address as a cost of doing business.
So while these industry nuggets are interesting, you might be wondering how they’re relevant to a design engineer. Basically, a fair number of you design products for both the medical and processing fields, but were you aware of these critical issues? Do you depend on sales, marketing or some other more extroverted corporate function to do the face time with customers? If so, why?
We all face issues surrounding time. There’s never enough of it, especially within the constraints of a tight development schedule. But how much time could be saved if you were actually spending time in the OR, or with a processing operations manager on the plant floor? Developing the solution is great, but seeing the problem first-hand and keeping in communication with the customer can be one the greatest time-saving techniques at your disposal.
So make sure you’re taking the time to get out and see those for whom your products are designed. The insight you can gain and the time saved in the long run will be worth it. Plus, you’ll know first hand about the plight of your particular market’s version of the sea kitten, and the best way to address it.