The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, has published the report Support for Standards in healthcare products and services, in which it announces the 900+ UNE standards that specifically help to improve the quality and safety of healthcare products and services. It also helps public administrations to implement regulations and arrange public procurement.
These standards cover practically all healthcare products and services: from surgical implants, to materials for anaesthesia and respiratory resuscitation, including optical products, electromedical equipment, healthcare Information and Communication Technologies, support products for people with disabilities and healthcare centres, among others.
There are numerous advantages: For patients, users and healthcare professionals, standards aim to harmonise healthcare in order to reduce costs, improve processes, increase the efficiency of healthcare, facilitate the work of interdisciplinary teams and provide security to professionals and users in order to reduce risks.
For industry, standards are essential tools to enable the production base to provide useful, interoperable and safe products.
While public administrations use standards as a tool to assess the products and services they acquire, as well as in their regulatory work and to help them with public procurement, as many of them are expected to conform to European Directives and Regulations. Thus, specifications issued by Autonomous Communities often cite the standards that provide them with security with respect to the products they acquire and that guarantee there are no barriers to trade.
SDG
The report also highlights how health standards help organisations obtain the Sustainable evelopment Goal (SDG) 3 on health and well-being. Standards are strategic allies to help organisations achieve this SDG, as they provide the best practices, collaboration and consensus that this global challenge requires.
