Clinical Engineering: Invaluable Contribution in Modern Hospital Management

Abstract

Today’s hospitals are complex institutions requiring highly qualified managers to run critical operations not only within their facilities, but also across the national or regional healthcare system they belong. Apart from the prerequisites for expertise on health care systems management and special skills to operate hospitals in an efficient, cost effective and safe way, managers must deal with an exceptional high number of diverse professionals, that should apply teamwork, in a well-coordinated manner, in order to deliver the most precious service: health care. Out of the almost one hundred specialties existing in a modern hospital environment, Clinical Engineering is a specialty which is often not receiving the recognition it deserves. In today’s hospital environment, which is dominated by technology, clinical engineering professionals are amongst the most valuable contributors for hospital management. In fact, during the last fifty years, medical technology is reshaping the way health care is delivered in a continuous accelerating pace and its reliable management is the cornerstone to safely pass the benefits deriving from its use, directly to the patients. Clinical engineering departments, (CEDs) are responsible for the overall hospital’s health technology management (HTM), during all stages of the operational life cycle of medical equipment, starting from procurement and ending with decommissioning. Tasks that CEDs daily perform or are involved in, within the scope of their responsibilities, include: -Planning of new equipment acquisition, preparing technical specification for call of tenders, assessment of offers, acceptance testing, user training and put in service during the procurement process, -Keeping an updated inventory, -Follow service contracts, monitor or perform quality control and safety testing protocols, Preventive and Corrective maintenance, Vigilance and Decommissioning of obsolescence or overpassed technologies.