HSV’s Annual Clinical Product Advisor Symposium explores innovations in patient safety

A group of 34 clinical product advisors from health services across Victoria gathered in Melbourne’s CBD earlier this month for the second HSV Clinical Product Advisor (CPA) Symposium.

HSV established the annual symposium in 2023 as a forum to discuss issues, trends and clinical developments, and to network and build relationships in the sector.

This year’s event theme was ‘Elevating care – innovations in patient safety’, which explored a wide range of topics from government schemes providing access to treatment for patients in need, to the benefits of sustainability within health services.

HSV Clinical Product Manager Diana Skratulja says while a CPA’s role can be extremely rewarding, it can also be challenging to find the most clinically advanced, environmentally friendly and cost-effective products in a healthcare environment that’s constantly evolving.

“The symposium is an opportunity for all Victorian CPAs to get together and hear about current trends in the sector,” she says.

“It also aims to support CPAs’ professional development and it’s an opportunity for everyone to reconnect and hear about projects and achievements at other health services.”

CPAs representing regional health services such as Bendigo Health, South West Healthcare and Albury Wodonga Health attended the symposium along with those from Melbourne hospitals.

Presenters at the event included ICU nurse Kylie Feely who spoke about a sustainability project at Western Health that involved changing from single-use items to reusable linen and sterile gowns. The initiative saved an average 662kg of carbon emissions a month – the same amount of carbon dioxide produced by driving an average car about 2,500km.

GS1 Australia’s Margo Fraser presented on the introduction of unique device identifiers – already in use to trace devices and consumables around the world – from 2025, and representatives from the Therapeutic Goods Administration provided updates on the Special Access Scheme and the mandatory reporting of adverse events by healthcare facilities.

Clinical Product Advisor at The Royal Women’s Hospital Seiko Etsue says she found the information shared on reusable linen highly valuable.

“This initiative is something we can implement at our health service, so it was great to hear about how well it worked at Western Health,” she says.

Danni Baker from Austin Health said the event helped CPAs stay up to date with regulatory changes and HSV processes.

“It was an enjoyable and educational event, and a lovely opportunity to collaborate with our fellow colleagues from other health services,” she says.

Amanda Champion from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said the event was very informative.

“We had some fabulous speakers, and it was a great opportunity to meet up with colleagues at the end of the year.”

The next CPA Symposium will be held in November 2025.