 Preparing for Change:
The rapid pace of change in medical
technology is breathtaking
and affects everyone who works in
healthcare. In this issue of IT Horizons,
the fifth in the series, we aim to offer
guidance to help you navigate
this brave new world. We’re proud to
team up with the American College of
Clinical Engineering and the Healthcare
Information and Management
Systems Society to produce this resource.
In the medical device domain, concerns about electrical
safety have been replaced with concerns about the
emergence of new information technologies and the
convergence of these technologies with medical devices.
We now worry about network security, interoperability,
and reliability, as well as the impact that the electronic
health record (EHR) will have on connectivity. There is
frustration about too many bedside alarms and more
complex preventive maintenance schedules. The expense
of supporting and replacing devices — particularly those
with IT components — is stretching equipment budgets.
Consider that services like labs and drug dispensation
are being decentralized from a single location in a
hospital to every patient room, and also that devices are
migrating away from a controlled hospital environment
into the homecare environment. Add in challenges with
wireless technologies and spectrum management and it’s
clear that we all have anxiety about how to keep up with
the changes and learn new skills.
What demands will be made on manufacturers to produce devices that are EHR “ready” and integrated
into the overall healthcare network? What standards will
need to be developed? What will be the government’s
role in regulating integrated devices? How will the roles
of clinical engineers and biomeds change?
We hope this IT Horizons gives you tools you need to
begin positioning yourself and your staff for success in
the future, and tools you can use to help your organization
be prepared as well. The integrated environment is
coming. It’s time for us all to get ready today.
Mary Logan, JD, CAE
President, AAMI |
.