A regional model for a hospital-based clinical engineering internship program.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Guignon.
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The problems of cost, personnel qualifications, task assignment, and productivity involved in establishing a clinical engineering department are addressed in this paper. A basic department consisting of a Clinical Engineer, a Biomedical Equipment Technician, a Testing Technician and a Clerical Assistant can provide a full range of clinical engineering services to a hospital with 225 instruments. The annual cost of such a department, including materials, would be approximately $90,000. The average capital investment in a selection of 225 instruments would be on the order of $860,000. This paper discusses levels of skills within a clinical engineering department, and the services that a hospital could expect from a four-man department.
Inservice education is potentially one of the most effective tools of the clinical engineer. A good technical inservice program can significantly reduce the amount of time engineers and technicians must spend on repetitive, corrective tasks, allowing them to be of greater value to their institutions in more creative ways. A complete technical inservice education program has been designed for the University of Connecticut Health Center's John Dempsey Hospital. To design such a program, one must first assess current inservice practices and any associated problems, as well as the educational needs of the clinical staff. The assessment is done by examining past equipment repair records, and by surveying nurses and other clinicians within the hospital, clinical engineers from outside hospitals, and equipment vendors. A sample program is then carried out to gather additional information and gain the acceptance and support of key hospital personnel. Based on the compiled data, an inservice program is proposed that is streamlined to maintain a desirable level of efficacy without requiring an inordinate amount of time. Quantitative analyses of costs and benefits confirm that the proposed program will have a net positive effect.
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