The News Room

For the first time ever, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has translated one of its standards into a foreign language.

As part of a test pilot project, AAMI recently completed the translation of ANSI/ AAMI PB70:2003 — Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended for use in health care facilities, into Spanish.

The Spanish version of PB70, which is the work of professional translators, is now available for sale in PDF format. AAMI is currently evaluating potential distributors of the translated standard in Spanish-speaking countries.

This test pilot project is just one component of a major goal to increase AAMI’s footprint and presence around the world.

“We considered several different standards for possible translation, and several languages,” says Steve Campbell, AAMI’s vice president of communications, marketing, and healthcare technology management. “We discussed the issue with international members, interest groups, and other experts. Factors taken into consideration included the potential market and need for the standard, and whether the standard was applicable to particular regions of the world. Through the research, it was determined that PB70 would be a relevant and useful standard for translation.”

AAMI is considering translating other standards into Chinese, Russian, and other languages as well.

PB70 provides specific guidance on barrier protection. It outlines the barrier protection capabilities for gowns, drapes, and other protective apparel based on four levels, with a “Level 1” gown providing the least amount of protection and a “Level 4” gown providing the highest, according to standardized industry durability tests.

This barrier classification system is intended to assist end-users in determining the types of protective product most appropriate for a particular task or situation. The standard also can assist manufacturers of protective barriers in testing and labeling their products so that healthcare personnel can make more informed decisions regarding protective barrier selection.   

According to the standard, which was developed by AAMI’s Protective Barriers Committee, “protective apparel is intended to be worn by healthcare workers to help preserve the integrity of the sterile filed and inhibit the transfer of blood, body fluids, other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), and associated microorganisms.”

Surgical gowns, other protective apparel, surgical drapes, and drape accessories are intended to promote infection control practices and help protect patients and healthcare workers.

The standard is particularly important in light of the soaring numbers of healthcare-acquired infections in today’s healthcare environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any time, more than 1.4 million people worldwide are suffering from infections acquired in hospitals.