Embracing the Future

Abstract

What does your crystal ball tell you about the future of medical technology management and its impact on the clinical engineering departments 10 years from now? With the increased sophistication of medical technologies, it is inevitable that changes are coming. The question is what kind of changes and what do we need to do to prepare for those changes.With medical devices becoming highly integrated systems and the increased emphasis on safety and finances, we have an opportunity to elevate the “biomed repair shop” status to a strategic, value-added operation supporting the hospitals' needs of tomorrow. We need to reach out to nurses, physicians, information technology (IT), and administrators; assume leadership roles in technology management; and become an integral stakeholder in ensuring a safe and cost-effective healthcare environment. I am a strong proponent of getting our clinical engineers (CEs) and biomedical engineering technicians (BMETs) involved as early in the equipment planning process as possible. If you do a good job, they will know who to call next time new equipment is requested by a clinician. The elevated status will make the clinical engineering departments busier than ever before.Sooner rather than later, medical equipment will primarily consist of automated, “smart” platforms with fewer mechanical parts and reduced repair and preventive maintenance needs. To meet these demands, I anticipate increased need to expand the skills of our CEs and BMETs into the clinical, IT, and product development areas, starting as early as college education. In addition, the application of human factors engineering will become more prominent. Two years ago, Beaumont realized the future needs and hired a human factors engineer who serves an instrumental role in equipment evaluations and risk management.Collaboration, integration, change, strategic vision...perhaps in the future CE departments will become strategic technology management departments. What do you think?I invite you to read the article in this issue of BI&T issue where leaders from clinical and biomedical engineering and IT share their views on embracing the future of medical technology management.