PUK21 The VALUE of a Sustainable and Resilient Technical Service Network and Its Importance in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: As a life-sustaining therapy, haemodialysis must be delivered continuously three times per week, also during COVID-19 Technical services, although often not acknowledged, are an essential part to ensure access to and continuity of care delivery This study assessed the value and robustness of a technical service network (TSN) during crisis times Methods: This assessment was performed according to the health technology assessment (HTA) framework (safety, efficacy, ethical, societal, organizational, economic value), analysing the operating procedures established within a TSN and the specific measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic Results: The following procedures implemented in the TSN were identified to be mandatory prerequisites for a rapid adaptation to COVID-19: 1) constant updating of technical service standards (ISO 9001, ISO 13485 & MDR based);2) regular evaluation of compliance to standards of local organisations (42 expert audits in 2019);3) quarterly evaluation of KPI’s (in 34 countries);4) functional community exchanging best practices and cooperating as a learning organisation (36 events in 2019) Along the lines of HTA, specific measures enabled a rapid adaptation to COVID-19 and delivered safety, efficacy, societal, organizational, economic value: 1) provision of expert-guidance for processes impacted by COVID-19 (e g technical safety checks, calibration of measuring intervals, training);2) implementation of specific hygiene guidelines;3) development of working models aligned with governmental and customer requirements Ethically, by rapidly adapting to COVID-19, the TSN enabled all customers to maintain operational capabilities and continue care delivery Further, access to care for COVID-19 patients was enabled by installing additional devices on ICU’s (2 5-fold more installations Mar-Jun 2020 vs 2019) Conclusions: The TSN demonstrated to remain robust and ensure continuity during the COVID-19 crisis, as a crucial piece to care delivery The TSN contributed to relieve the burden of healthcare professionals, allowing them to focus on their core task, patient care