Introduction

 

AAMI’s Wireless Strategy Task Force (WSTF) created the initial Wireless FAQs in 2014 to address the answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding wireless issues in the healthcare environment. As technology has advanced and more devices are being placed on the wireless infrastructure, new challenges have emerged. We have developed an updated version, and this document is intended to help healthcare technology management (HTM), information technology (IT), and facilities management professionals understand the state of wireless tools and technologies, their use in healthcare, and how they can best be managed given the disparate roles and responsibilities. A goal of this document is to help HTM and IT professionals improve mutual understanding of their roles and responsibilities and how to best collaborate to ensure effective management of the environment. We hope this compilation of FAQs leads to enhanced cooperation through information sharing about tools and techniques, problem solving strategies, and understanding what the differences are between these critical roles in healthcare.

We give firm answers to purely informational questions. However, for guidance questions, there is no one right or wrong answer. The goal is to provide information and pointers for the reader to make an informed decision.

AAMI would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Wireless Strategy Task Force for the work in updating the FAQs document, including: Steve Baker, PhD, who served as editor, and William Salzstein, Travis Ruthig, Ali Youssef, Rick Hampton, Paul Sherman, Matt Pekarske, Peter Thornycroft, Shawn Jackman, Calvin Sproul, Phil Raymond, Maggie Berkey, and Mark Heston.

In 2019, the Wireless Strategy Task Force was integrated into the Health Technology Alliance (HTA), a partnership between the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE). HTA provides a forum for collaboration among HTM, healthcare IT, and healthcare informatics professionals, as well as others in the broader healthcare community who are dedicated to the promotion of healthcare quality, safety, efficacy, and efficiency through better uses of technology.

To learn more, visit www.healthtechnologyalliance.org. Disclaimer: Mention of specific products and materials is based on experience of the team of authors and reviews and does not constitute any endorsement by AAMI.

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