Healthcare Packaging Tips
Over the past year, the world has changed in ways that many of us never expected. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020 and for plenty of people around the United States, life has never been the same. Not only have our individual lives been impacted dramatically, but so too have many of the industries that keep our nation and world running smoothly. One of the most obvious of those is the healthcare industry. We all know that hospitals and medical facilities around the country have dealt with an influx of patients experiencing different kinds of illnesses than they’ve seen before and, in response, have needed to change their daily operating practices and treatment methods. Along with this, those who manufacture and distribute medical devices have found themselves in need of more efficient and practical approaches to healthcare packaging. For that reason, we’re breaking down some key healthcare packaging tips to remember in 2021 and beyond.
What is a Medical Device?
Medical devices are a broad category of products. They include a huge number of different items, ranging from small and relatively inconspicuous objects like a band-aid or syringe to larger and more obvious gadgets such as oxygen tanks or glucose meters. Whatever the medical device actually is or what kind of condition it helps treat, every single one is meant to assist healthcare professionals in their care of patients and to improve the lives of those individuals.
The Goals of Healthcare Packaging
No matter what kind of product it holds, all packaging has one goal that it must accomplish above all others – protect the item inside. This is a key function of healthcare packaging, but there are a few other objectives that it must achieve in addition to basic protection. The most important of these is keeping the medical device or other healthcare product sterile and free of germs or contaminants. Should the object be exposed to anything harmful (which, in some cases, is something as commonplace as oxygen or moisture), it could quickly be rendered useless or even dangerous. This means that healthcare packaging must be highly specialized and well planned in order to prevent rips and tears in the material. It must also hold up to all kinds of supply chain abuse – mishandling, bumpy journeys, and possible unexpected temperature extremes. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to ensure that your healthcare packaging offers adequate protection to the medical devices it contains during storage, shipping, and beyond.
Tips to Keep Your Healthcare Packaging at Its Best
Here at IPS Packaging & Automation, we want to help you ensure that your products stay safe throughout the entire supply chain process. The following are a few helpful hints that might assist you as you modify or prepare your healthcare packaging:
Start Early: In any situation, it’s always best to get an early start so you can get ahead of the game and produce the best results possible. The same is true for medical device packaging. Beginning your packaging research and testing early allows you to ensure that all of the material works correctly and gives your products the protection and sterility they need. Further, this prevents delays as you send your items to customers and make them available on the marketplace.
Bulk vs. Individual: You understand your products better than anyone else, and the same should be true of the packaging you utilize. In order to achieve its key goals, you’ll need to consider whether or not your medical device packaging should be done in bulk or individually. For example, you can likely place hundreds of medical latex gloves in one bundle, but separate packaging will be necessary for items like individual needles.
Consider the Fine Print: When it comes to a person’s health and wellbeing, most people care about every minor detail and your business should feel the same way about every single aspect of your healthcare product and its packaging. No matter how insignificant you think a detail of your packaging may be, you should never skimp out on quality control or testing. What could seem like the right poly film may end up punctured in transit, ruining the product inside.
Aim to Automate: Many people don’t realize just how much packaging automation can save them, in terms of both time and money. While automation may seem too expensive initially, it brings incredible efficiency and accurate packaging to your line. Better yet, there’s a piece of packaging equipment for just about everything. From stretch wrappers to shrink bundlers and beyond, we’ve got you covered.
The End Users: At the end of the day, medical devices and their packaging are all about improving the lives of patients and the healthcare workers who care for them. Your packaging should take into account their ease of use, while at the same time ensuring the device itself is unharmed and in proper working order.
Find the Right Healthcare Packaging
At first, determining what kind of healthcare packaging will work best for your products can seem a little overwhelming. We hope these healthcare packaging tips help you get a good idea of where to start. We invite you to contact or call us today at 800-277-7007 to speak with one of our expert packaging specialists for further information and guidance.
