Clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians now have a voice on an important panel with the appointment of AAMI leader Paul Kelley to The Joint Commission’s Patient Safety Advisory Group.

Kelley, director of biomedical engineering for Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA, is the first clinical engineering manager to join the committee. Kelley also serves on the executive committee of AAMI’s Technology Management Council (TMC).

The advisory group, formed in 2002, annually recommends National Patient Safety Goals for adoption by The Joint Commission. It also reviews patient safety recommendations for potential publication as “Sentinel Event Alerts,” which stem from unexpected events in a healthcare setting that cause the death or serious injury of a patient, and recommends topics for future alerts.

Joint Commission officials were happy to add Kelley to the committee. “From my perspective, a veteran biomedical equipment technician provides a deeper perspective into the technical aspects of patient safety risks associated with devices, instrumentation, and materials,” said Gerald M. Castro, project director of patient safety initiatives for The Joint Commission. “This perspective is essential as we address issues like the safe implementation of new technology.”

“I think clinical engineering people are normally looking at issues and events with the patient safety perspective anyway,” Kelley says. “Often we see problems with devices or interfaces before they cause trouble, or we may see the resulting situation from a different point of view. I hope my background and different view can help round out this important committee with the perspective that has been missing to date.”

AAMI members interested in providing input to Kelley can e-mail him at patientsafety@aami.org.

Source: AAMI News: September 2010, Vol. 45, No. 9