Document Offers First Call Guidance
New guidance is now available to help clinical engineering (CE) and information technology (IT) departments sort out service calls.
The CE-IT Community has published a guidance document designed to help healthcare facilities assign first-call duties between CE and IT departments. It will be distributed as a membership benefit through the CE-IT Community’s website, www.ceitcollaboration.org; and published in the upcoming edition of AAMI’s publication, IT Horizons.
The CE-IT Community — a collaboration among members of AAMI, the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE), and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) — was created in 2008 to develop resources, best practices and networking opportunities to advance the interests of CE-IT issues in healthcare.
Traditionally CE services medical devices while IT handles networks and computers (PC). But as medical devices become more integrated into networks, the lines of responsibility have blurred.
The new guidance document — entitled “Best Practices For Assigning First Call Responsibilities For Healthcare Networking Issues” — offers advice for creating a system of support. It’s important for facilities to initially identify key resources in the support process, not only for the departments that offer support but also the clinical areas that receive it.
Facilities should establish a group that includes CE, IT, and clinical staff that meets to shape the roles and responsibilities of the support process, the document reads. After the roles and accountabilities are established, they should be documented clearly so the end user can determine how to report an issue.
To read a copy of the CE-IT guidance document, click here. If you are interested in participating in the CE-IT Community, contact Patrick Bernat at pbernat@aami.org.