Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Developing, implementing, and directing equipment
management programs. Specific tasks include
evaluating and selecting new technology, accepting
and installing new equipment, and managing the
inventory of medical instrumentation, all in keeping
with the responsibilities and duties defined by the
hospital administration. The clinical engineering
director advises the administrator of the budgetary,
personnel, space, and test equipment requirements
that are necessary to support this equipment
management program.
Advising administration and medical and nursing
staffs in areas such as safety, the purchase of new
medical instrumentation and equipment, and the
design of new clinical facilities
Evaluating and taking appropriate action on incidents
attributed to equipment malfunction or misuse.
The clinical engineering director summarizes the
technological significance of each incident and
documents the findings of the investigation,
subsequently submitting a report to the appropriate
hospital authority and, according to the Safe Medical
Devices Act of 1990, to the device manufacturer
and/or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Selecting departmental staff and training them to
perform their functions in a professional manner
Establishing departmental priorities, developing and
enforcing departmental policies and procedures, and
supervising and directing departmental activities.
The clinical engineering director takes an active role
in leading the department to achieve its overall
technical goals.
Therefore, the core functions of a clinical engineering
department can be summarized as follows:
1.
Technology management
2.
Risk management
3.
Technology assessment
4.
Facilities design and project management
5.
Quality assurance
6.
Training
What is important today is the presence of clinical en-
gineering at the appropriate point in the organizational
structure for it to have a maximum impact on the proper
use and management of modern medical technology
(
Bronzino, 1992; 1995; 2000
).
Major functions of a clinical
engineering department
The role of the clinical engineer in today's hospital can be
both challenging and gratifying because the care of
patients requires a greater partnership between medical
staff and modem technology. As previously discussed,
this interchange has led to a close working relationship
between the clinical engineer and many members of the
medical and hospital staff. The team approach is key to
the successful operation of any clinical engineering
program.
Figure 1.0-3
illustrates the degree of teamwork
and interdependence that is required in order to maintain
constructive interrelationships. In this matrix pre-
sentation, it is important to note that the health care team
approach to the delivery of patient care creates both
vertical and lateral reporting relationships. Although
clinical engineers report hierarchically to their hospital
administrator, they also interact with hospital staff to
meet patients' requirements.
As a result of the wide-ranging scope of interrelation-
ships within the medical setting, the duties and re-
sponsibilities of clinical engineering directors continue to
be extremely diversified. Yet, a common thread is pro-
vided by the very nature of the technology that they
manage. Directors of clinical engineering departments are
usually involved in the following areas:
Medical Staff
Administrator
Social
Work
Physical
Therapy
Clinical
Engineering
Nursing
Dietary
Etc.
Professional status of clinical
engineering
Upon careful review of our definition of clinical engi-
neering and the responsibilities and functions that clinical
engineers assume within the hospital, it is clear that the
term
clinical engineer
must be associated with individuals
who can provide engineering services, not simply tech-
nical services. Clinical engineers, therefore, must be in-
dividuals who have a minimum of a four-year bachelor's
Horizontal or Lateral Organization
(the patient care team)
Figure 1.0-3 Matrix diagram illustrating the bi-directional
interdependence and degree of teamwork required to maintain
effective interaction between the members of the health care
delivery team.
