The News Room

ARLINGTON, VA—Medical technology and information technology (IT) professionals are hungry for information on emerging technologies and guidance on the integration of IT systems in the healthcare environment, according to the results of a major new industry survey.

The online survey was conducted recently by the new CE-IT Community, a coalition of three national associations including the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE), and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

The survey—which attracted more than 470 respondents—was developed to identify the major needs facing the members of the three organizations, so that the CE-IT Community could then address those needs through several specific projects in the months ahead.

According to the survey results, the overwhelming majority of the respondents want the CE-IT Community to develop and share best practices and to be kept informed about new standards and regulations and new technologies. In addition, the majority of the respondents said that it would be helpful if the CE-IT Community helped ensure that new technology weaves into current technology without precluding connectivity in the future.

The respondents also expressed strong support for sharing business plans, goals, and mission statements between IT and clinical engineering groups, and a desire to gather diverse stakeholders to discuss IT issues of mutual interest.

When asked which specific CE-IT issues they would want addressed, there were several specific requests. Respondents asked for more guidance on:

1. Integration of systems/devices in multi-vendor environment
2. Developing an IT infrastructure to adequately support medical technology
3. Recommendations and guidance on implementing new technologies, including wireless systems, and
4. Guidance on FDA regulations

Survey respondents also said they wanted more guidance on working collaboratively with IT personnel, IT standards, IT issues related to facility upgrades and the environment, and IT security issues. Issues that scored the lowest were guidance on picture archiving and communications systems, deploying intranet technology, and upgrades of network infrastructure.

The survey, which was e-mailed to AAMI, ACCE, and HIMSS members in April, generated respondents from biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers, chief information officers, programmers, systems analysts, consultants, professors, physicians, and nurses.

More than 65% of the respondents work in hospitals, while 12% were employed at device manufacturers, 8% at academic institutions, 6% at consulting firms, and 9% at other employers.

The CE-IT Steering Committee, which comprises two representatives from each of the three organizations, will now analyze the survey results and begin launching projects to address these needs. Members of the Steering Committee include Bob Stiefel and Ray Laxton from AAMI; Ray Zambuto and Steve Grimes from ACCE; and Leanne Cordisco and Izabella Gieras from HIMSS.

As an alliance, the three organizations in the CE-IT Community represent thousands of biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers, IT professionals, clinicians, and other medical technology professionals around the world.

By pooling their resources through this collaboration, the three groups are seeking to foster a united voice for IT and clinical engineering concerns; and develop important resources, best practices, and networking opportunities to advance the interests of CE-IT issues in healthcare.

For more information about the CE-IT Community, visit www.ceitcollaboration.org.