AAMI, FDA to Hold Fall Summit on Healthcare Technology in Nonclinical Settings

As healthcare facilities look to save money, and patients rely increasingly on mobile devices to monitor their conditions, technology is moving out of hospitals and into homes and other nonclinical settings—a trend known as distributed care. But while patients and hospitals see the benefits of this trend in terms of convenience and reduced costs, there are also risks and challenges to consider as more technology moves into the hands of nonmedical professionals.

To address issues surrounding the rise of distributed care, AAMI and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a two-day summit Oct. 9–10 in Herndon, VA, near Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport.

The summit is geared toward a range of stakeholders, including clinical engineers, medical device manufacturers, information technology experts, nurses, doctors, regulators, academics, and other healthcare technology management professionals. Attendees will hear presentations from experts and discuss priorities and potential solutions for the risks surrounding the move of care to nonclinical settings.

There are several factors at work behind the distributed care trend. Members of the large Baby Boom Generation are requiring more health services as they age. At the same time, healthcare facilities are under enormous pressure to reduce costs, including through limiting hospital stays.

Finally, evolving mobile and wireless technologies have opened up a new world in terms of what kind of devices can be introduced in nonclinical settings.  While these devices hold great promise for improving patient care, manufacturers must be mindful of the fact that their technologies are being used by nonclinicians.

“If nurses and other skilled healthcare professionals can find medical devices and technology confusing, imagine what a nonexpert faces,” AAMI President Mary Logan says. “Moving healthcare technology to nonclinical settings isn’t simply a matter of physically moving devices outside the hospital. It requires a new mindset, one that appreciates the unique challenges found in these noncontrolled environments. This summit will consider those challenges and how best to address them through a patient safety lens.”

The distributed care event will mark the fifth time that AAMI and the FDA have joined forces to host a summit on a pressing issue in healthcare technology, and it is expected to follow the format of its predecessors. Previous summits have focused on clinical alarms, infusion pump systems, reprocessing, and medical device interoperability.

For more information about past AAMI summits, please visit www.aami.org/meetings/summits.

AAMI, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967. It is a diverse community of nearly 7,000 healthcare technology professionals united by one important mission—supporting the healthcare community in the development, management, and use of safe and effective healthcare technology.