Containing patient-care costs has become a crucial element in driving healthcare innovations around the globe. Affordable care has been the core tenet of Consure Medical’s innovation and development processes that defines the solutions offered by the company. Qora™ SMK, a suite of intuitive Stool Management Kits (SMKs), are the next generation of stool containment solutions that has greatly improved patient care and expedited recovery. Associated costs have been driven down due to effective wound management and infection control in critical care that reduces hospital acquired complications.

Inefficient fecal containment for bedridden patients can lead to hospital acquired complications that can increase treatment costs to over $2.5 billion. If these complications are mismanaged, bedridden patients are 50% more likely to develop incontinence associated dermatitis and 22 times more likely to develop painful pressure injuries. Moreover, inefficient containment methods also increase the risk of spreading other catheter associated urinary tract infections, hospital-acquired infections, blood stream infections, and most commonly, Clostridium difficile infection. Studies have shown that fecal mismanagement increases mortality rates by as much as 7%, and can cost the health facility a penalty of $15,000-20,000 USD per admission, which places an enormous burden on the healthcare system. ^1-9

Qora™’s novel design is a non-balloon based, self-conforming device that is developed in collaboration with leading physicians, care-providers, and technologists from Stanford University, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. The device is created to address the inefficiencies of the traditional adsorbent pads and fast obsoleting balloon catheters that are used in healthcare systems. Qora™ SMK has been evaluated with rigorous human clinical trials following appropriate regulatory approvals that includes FDA clearances.

Pioneering the first-of-its-kind economic trials, Consure Medical developed novel ‘Technology Assessment Pilots’ that have demonstrated improvements to patient care while also highlighting a significant decrease in patient care costs. Use of the Qora™ kit has shown to provide larger benefits and perform over the current conventional healthcare practices related to stool containment and management of bedridden patients. These positive outcomes have as a result convinced index hospitals and large IDN’s in the United States, Europe and India to adopt this patient care device.

An efficacy analysis of the trials conducted show that patients using Qora™ for stool containment and management did not suffer from the usual skin breakdown and dermatitis that is seen in the bedridden patient populations that utilize traditional methods for similar management. When Qora™ was used for wound management (e.g., for pressure injuries), accelerated wound healing was also demonstrated. The cost analysis of these benefits shows reductions in nursing time, number of doctor visits, consultation times, services, and material costs for treatment. Another important improvement shown through the clinical studies were a significant reduction in nursing burden and strain as a result of using Qora™ for patient management.

The Qora™ SMK is a novel design and superior technology proven to be a safe and effective solution for fecal containment, with as much as 3 times higher patient eligibility over competitors across the continuum of care. Qora™ is the next generation solution for fecal containment and management. The device offers a safer, balloon-free technology with improved infection control, better wound care, and significant cost savings.

References:

1. Bayón García, Cristina et al. ‘Prevalence, Management And Clinical Challenges Associated With Acute Faecal Incontinence In The ICU And Critical Care Settings: The FIRSTTM Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey’. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing 28.4 (2012): 242-250. Web.
2. Bianchi, Janice, and Teresa Segovia-Gomez. ‘The Dangers Of Faecal Incontinence In The At-Risk Patient’. Wounds International 3.3 (2015): 15- 21. Print.
3. Bliss, Donna Zimmaro et al. ‘Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis In Critically Ill Adults’. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing 38.4 (2011): 433-445. Web.
4. Kowal-Vern, A. et al. ‘Faecal Containment In Bedridden Patients: Economic Impact Of 2 Commercial Bowel Catheter Systems’. American Journal of Critical Care 18.3 (2009): S2-S14. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
5. Langill, Mike et al. ‘A Budget Impact Analysis Comparing Use Of A Modern Faecal Management System To Traditional Faecal Management Methods In Two Canadian Hospitals’. Ostomy Wound Management 58.12 (2012): 25- 33. Print.
6. Marchetti, Floriano et al. ‘Retention Cuff Pressure Study Of 3 Indwelling Stool Management Systems’. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing 38.5 (2011): 569-573. Web.
7. Saga, Susan et al. ‘Prevalence And Correlates Of Faecal Incontinence Among Nursing Home Residents: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study’. BMC Geriatric 13.1 (2013): 87. Web.
8. Stevens, T. K, E. E Soffer, and R. M Palmer. ‘Faecal Incontinence In Elderly Patients: Common, Treatable, Yet Often Undiagnosed.’ Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 70.5 (2003): 441-448. Web.
9. Thibault, Ronan et al. ‘Diarrhea In The ICU: Respective Contribution Of Feeding And Antibiotics’. Critical Care 17.4 (2013): R153. Web.