MedShare is one of the biggest contributors of medical supplies to other countries, all over the world. In America, there are many supplies that are thrown out but are still in usable condition. MedShare partners with many hospitals, distributers and also manufacturers. This is done for the purpose of shipping the supplies to the poorer countries, which are unable to support the working and proper conditions in their hospitals. MedShare is also very much involved in the organizing and sorting of materials, as this is a very important and sufficient job but very time consuming. Many resources and staff are needed in order to carry out the proper sorting of medical supplies. The efficiency is crucial because the close inspection in future usage of materials must be done. Often, there are products that cannot be used due to damage or sterility. MedShare has provided many volunteers for both domestic and international jobs. Another important factor is the maintenance and the education in the usage of medical materials and equipment. Poor countries are sometimes unable to maintain and fix the equipment that is received so, MedShare has “provided biomedical engineering support” (MedShare) to the hospitals which receive their equipment. Some of current challenges include the long distance hardships that must be dealt with. Transportation is one of the key matters in supplying the materials to other hospitals. It is extremely important to make sure that the right equipment is received and that it is possible to use in the present conditions. Also, funds must be raised in order to accomplish these goals and partnerships must be created, as coordination and cooperation with other hospitals and companies will make the job more efficient and productive (MedShare).
There are several things that must be kept in mind when providing equipment to hospitals in other countries. The research of the receiving hospital and clinic must be thorough, as sometimes the conditions will be unfavorable for the equipment received. It is possible that there is no space for the materials, any electricity or professionals who can use and fix the equipment. A number of programs must be set up, which will be responsible for the training of personnel in the usage of equipment. It is important that the partnering hospitals donate materials which are still usable, so there must be certain criteria and guidelines that will provide a clear outline of the needed supplies (Rosenberg, 2011). Nurses play an important role in delivering supplies and services to partners and patients. They are the front line workers, so there should be high quality training programs for them. In return, nurses can give feedback on what specific materials and equipment they need. They can form different departments that will receive specialized and high quality training in some specific field. This will increase their knowledge and reflect on the care they provide for the patients. Since there will be large support groups, they can in turn train new specialists and add-on to the teams. With the development of highly efficient nursing, doctors will have more time to attend to emergency cases and heighten their own expertise. As nurses are directly involved in patient care, they will be able to exactly specify which equipment is most used and what new equipment is required. There are more nurses than doctors, so they are the moving force. Their updates in the care and usage of machines will lead to a direct increase in the number of patients cared for, as well as the quality of patient care. It will be extremely beneficial for all, if the hospitals, nurses and other medical staff have a common goal of delivering best services and supplies to domestic patients but also to international aid and education programs.
References
MedShare. n.d. Web.
Rosenberg, T. (2011). Making Medical Donations Work. Web.