The solution – Dr Mach CRI-TuningTM

Dr Mach – German MED-LIGHT Solution

MRCN – A new standard for greater transparency and quality in surgical lighting

The introduction of modern LED technologies has made surgical lights more powerful and flexible. Variable colour temperatures, adjustable light fields, and various dimming levels allow for optimal adaptation to different medical applications.

The colour rendering index (CRI), along with the key metrics Ra, R9, and R13, plays an important role in purchasing decisions. The CRI measurement method has existed since 1960 – making it high time for a technical update.

Against this background, Dr Mach GmbH, as one of the world’s leading lighting manufacturers, has developed the MRCN (Mach Rendering Consistency Number): a new metric for evaluating medical lighting systems.

Based on over 100 individual measurements, a practical score between 0 and 100 is calculated. The rule is: the higher the score, the better the colour rendering across all setting configurations. The MRCN offers a significantly more practical assessment and highlights clear differences in light quality among various surgical lights.

The new method creates greater transparency and avoids so-called “cherry-picking” effects, where manufacturers only publish favourable individual values for specific settings.

For hospitals, the MRCN offers a more objective way to compare different systems and increases transparency in tenders and investment decisions. This new measurement method helps procurement officers to better assess the quality of surgical lights. With a high MRCN score, buyers support their surgeons in identifying colour shades and structures within the wound area. The MRCN should therefore establish itself as an important quality standard in medical technology, as it ensures diagnostic reliability and improves the quality of patient care.