Pub Date : 2023-07-26DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i3.155
Jing Tong, K. Zheng, Bin Li
Background and purpose: Clinical engineers (CEs) face greater demands for their professional knowledge as healthcare technology, especially life support equipment, including ventilators and artificial heart-lung machines, becomes increasingly important and complex. However, there are significant differences in clinical engineering majors around the world, and independent research on the body of knowledge and practice in clinical engineering is lacking in China. Materials and methods: This study is an initial investigation into the body of knowledge and body of practice in the field of clinical engineering in China, conducted through a questionnaire-based survey. The aim of the survey is to collect important data from Chinese CEs. Results: The investigators' background highlights that Chinese CEs are predominantly young, highly educated, and have limited work experience. Ongoing education and training will be needed to keep up with technological advancements. However, the future of clinical engineering in China looks positive. The survey of knowledge and work activities in the clinical engineering industry in China indicates that the main focus is maintaining the normal operation of hospitals. After that, according to the future development trend of the hospital, new knowledge and practical activities are continuously expanded. Conclusions: Although the survey provides insight into the knowledge and activities that are most relevant to clinical engineering in China, further research is necessary to establish a reliable body of knowledge and practice.
{"title":"Analysis of 2022 Chinese Clinical Engineering Body of Knowledge and Body of Practice Survey","authors":"Jing Tong, K. Zheng, Bin Li","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i3.155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i3.155","url":null,"abstract":"Background and purpose: Clinical engineers (CEs) face greater demands for their professional knowledge as healthcare technology, especially life support equipment, including ventilators and artificial heart-lung machines, becomes increasingly important and complex. However, there are significant differences in clinical engineering majors around the world, and independent research on the body of knowledge and practice in clinical engineering is lacking in China.\u0000Materials and methods: This study is an initial investigation into the body of knowledge and body of practice in the field of clinical engineering in China, conducted through a questionnaire-based survey. The aim of the survey is to collect important data from Chinese CEs.\u0000Results: The investigators' background highlights that Chinese CEs are predominantly young, highly educated, and have limited work experience. Ongoing education and training will be needed to keep up with technological advancements. However, the future of clinical engineering in China looks positive. The survey of knowledge and work activities in the clinical engineering industry in China indicates that the main focus is maintaining the normal operation of hospitals. After that, according to the future development trend of the hospital, new knowledge and practical activities are continuously expanded.\u0000Conclusions: Although the survey provides insight into the knowledge and activities that are most relevant to clinical engineering in China, further research is necessary to establish a reliable body of knowledge and practice.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132362495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-26DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i3.159
V. Di Virgilio, Alexia Bouchard Saindon, Francisco Cesar Gerardo Becerra Posada
Background and Objectives Sustainability is a working principle included in the United Nations (UN) procurement processes with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the context of internationally funded projects in developing countries for procuring health-related goods during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, this article further investigates what sustainable procurement means when applied to purchasing medical devices (MDs), considering its impact on health services. It also proposes a reflection on the concepts of sustainability and quality assurance as guiding principles for technical teams during the process of MD procurement. Material and Methods This article aims to identify how sustainability can be implemented during the execution of a project based on the analysis of principles that guide procurement actions in the four UN agencies with the highest volume of MD procurement. The concept of sustainability is also explored from a macrosystemic point of view as the ratio between the impact of a procurement project on healthcare services and its investment. Its implications for population health and wealth is also discussed. Based on the experience of the authors in implementing purchasing processes of MDs, a framework for the specific technical activity is then proposed. Results In the UN system, sustainable procurement focuses on the social, economic, and environmental quality of the equipment and on the conditions of its production to guarantee that a sustainable good is procured. Not being enough, the focus should also be on the benefit of a procurement project, not as the possession of a new MD, but as the utility of the device: an instrument to provide healthcare services of the beneficiary country. Procuring sustainable goods should include planning their future use as an essential component for a sustainable positive impact on the health and wealth of the beneficiary population. Thus, the intended use of the procured devices should be defined, planned, and measured. In the proposed framework, sustainability is a ratio between an MD’s social, economic, and environmental costs and the benefits of its use. When neglecting the essential factor of sustainable use of MDs, the risk of purchasing equipment that will not be properly and efficiently used is relevant. To guarantee the sustainable use of a MD, it is essential to assess the needs, the local conditions, and the conditions for its lifelong use. Further evolution of the concept of sustainability is developed towards the possibility of modulating the project’s objective from procuring sustainable MDs to improving the sustainability of the health services by procuring MDs. Conclusion Sustainable procurement of MDs is a key factor in supporting the sustainable development of health services and health systems toward the SDGs. Post-pandemic investments to strengthen the resilience of health services in developing countries shall consider sustainable pro
{"title":"Sustainable procurement of medical devices in an international context","authors":"V. Di Virgilio, Alexia Bouchard Saindon, Francisco Cesar Gerardo Becerra Posada","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i3.159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i3.159","url":null,"abstract":"Background and Objectives\u0000Sustainability is a working principle included in the United Nations (UN) procurement processes with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the context of internationally funded projects in developing countries for procuring health-related goods during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, this article further investigates what sustainable procurement means when applied to purchasing medical devices (MDs), considering its impact on health services. It also proposes a reflection on the concepts of sustainability and quality assurance as guiding principles for technical teams during the process of MD procurement.\u0000Material and Methods\u0000This article aims to identify how sustainability can be implemented during the execution of a project based on the analysis of principles that guide procurement actions in the four UN agencies with the highest volume of MD procurement. The concept of sustainability is also explored from a macrosystemic point of view as the ratio between the impact of a procurement project on healthcare services and its investment. Its implications for population health and wealth is also discussed. Based on the experience of the authors in implementing purchasing processes of MDs, a framework for the specific technical activity is then proposed.\u0000Results\u0000In the UN system, sustainable procurement focuses on the social, economic, and environmental quality of the equipment and on the conditions of its production to guarantee that a sustainable good is procured. Not being enough, the focus should also be on the benefit of a procurement project, not as the possession of a new MD, but as the utility of the device: an instrument to provide healthcare services of the beneficiary country. Procuring sustainable goods should include planning their future use as an essential component for a sustainable positive impact on the health and wealth of the beneficiary population. Thus, the intended use of the procured devices should be defined, planned, and measured. In the proposed framework, sustainability is a ratio between an MD’s social, economic, and environmental costs and the benefits of its use. When neglecting the essential factor of sustainable use of MDs, the risk of purchasing equipment that will not be properly and efficiently used is relevant. To guarantee the sustainable use of a MD, it is essential to assess the needs, the local conditions, and the conditions for its lifelong use. Further evolution of the concept of sustainability is developed towards the possibility of modulating the project’s objective from procuring sustainable MDs to improving the sustainability of the health services by procuring MDs.\u0000Conclusion\u0000Sustainable procurement of MDs is a key factor in supporting the sustainable development of health services and health systems toward the SDGs. Post-pandemic investments to strengthen the resilience of health services in developing countries shall consider sustainable pro","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"137 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122546030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i2.151
T. Judd, Y. David, Fabiola Martinez, Kallirroi Stavrianou
Many colleagues have written about the global reliance on health technologies whose innovation, deployment and supportcontinue to improve worldwide healthcare and its delivery. The World Health Organization’s-WHO 2007 Resolution WHA60.29called for the effective use of health technologies (HT), in particular medical devices, through proper planning, assessment,acquisition and management.The community of professional clinical engineering (CE) practitioners’ pre-COVID19 stories are captured in the Global ClinicalEngineering Journal. An article from 2022 shows the reasons for the increased contributions of this community especially duringthe pandemic in The Growing Role of Clinical Engineering: Merging Technology at the Point of Care.This article will answer questions such as to how this global reliance was demonstrated during the COVID19 period. How thestatus of the Clinical/Biomedical Engineering (CE/BME) profession that serves at the point of care changed as the world emergesfrom the huge stresses of the pandemic. The article reviews the evolution of the CE profession since 2020, how it partneredwith WHO between 2020-2022 and what lessons were learned in the process. It reports future CE priorities to improve country,regional, and global practice in 2023 and beyond. This timely preliminary report shares important findings related to patientcare support services.
{"title":"Global Clinical Engineering Status: Post-COVID19 Review","authors":"T. Judd, Y. David, Fabiola Martinez, Kallirroi Stavrianou","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i2.151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i2.151","url":null,"abstract":"Many colleagues have written about the global reliance on health technologies whose innovation, deployment and supportcontinue to improve worldwide healthcare and its delivery. The World Health Organization’s-WHO 2007 Resolution WHA60.29called for the effective use of health technologies (HT), in particular medical devices, through proper planning, assessment,acquisition and management.The community of professional clinical engineering (CE) practitioners’ pre-COVID19 stories are captured in the Global ClinicalEngineering Journal. An article from 2022 shows the reasons for the increased contributions of this community especially duringthe pandemic in The Growing Role of Clinical Engineering: Merging Technology at the Point of Care.This article will answer questions such as to how this global reliance was demonstrated during the COVID19 period. How thestatus of the Clinical/Biomedical Engineering (CE/BME) profession that serves at the point of care changed as the world emergesfrom the huge stresses of the pandemic. The article reviews the evolution of the CE profession since 2020, how it partneredwith WHO between 2020-2022 and what lessons were learned in the process. It reports future CE priorities to improve country,regional, and global practice in 2023 and beyond. This timely preliminary report shares important findings related to patientcare support services.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114492634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i2.119
William K. de Souza, M. A. Marciano
Surgical procedures using rigid endoscopes are well known for having advantages over conventional surgical procedures. However, these instruments are fragile and are subject to breakage. The objective of this study was to record and analyze the frequency and types of repairs required for different types of rigid endoscopes used in surgical procedures. As a result, it was possible to correlate the number of defects with the amount and types of procedures, incidences of repairs by types of optics, and types of defects by types of rigid endoscopes. According to the survey, smaller instruments are more subject to damage and need repairs.
{"title":"Defects detected in Rigid Endoscopes","authors":"William K. de Souza, M. A. Marciano","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i2.119","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i2.119","url":null,"abstract":"Surgical procedures using rigid endoscopes are well known for having advantages over conventional surgical procedures. However, these instruments are fragile and are subject to breakage. The objective of this study was to record and analyze the frequency and types of repairs required for different types of rigid endoscopes used in surgical procedures. As a result, it was possible to correlate the number of defects with the amount and types of procedures, incidences of repairs by types of optics, and types of defects by types of rigid endoscopes. According to the survey, smaller instruments are more subject to damage and need repairs.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128495096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i2.143
J. Nkurunziza, J. C. Udahemuka, Francine Umutesi, Jean Baptise Dusenge
The desire for earthquake hazard mitigation has been the focus of many researchers and governments for decades. This is paramount because an earthquake disaster can quickly cause many injuries, fatalities, and damages. The global database of the 21,000 most devastating disasters (earthquakes included) since 1900 indicates that 50% of them with the most significant number of injuries occurred only during the past 20 years. In human history, the Xaanxi earthquake is ranked third among the disasters that claimed more lives. In addition, earthquakes contributed to six of the most deadly disasters of the past two decades and 21% of the economic losses. In the same period, the earthquakes due to the Virunga volcanic activity were responsible for more than 100 deaths and extensive material and infrastructure damage. The referenced information and statistical data about the earthquake occurrence process, adverse effects, economic losses, and the current technological success in reducing its risks through warning systems are the basis for developing this paper. The authors aim to raise awareness and recommend that the Virunga region countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) be a good place for an Earthquake Early Warning System and Earthquake Management Plan. An Earthquake Early Warning System even caught the attention of the United Nations, where the endorsed Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR, 2015) specified that early warning must be a priority and has to be substantially evolved by 2030.
{"title":"Earthquake Early Warning System: A Solution for Life Rescue in Health Facilities and Risks Mitigation for the population of the Virunga Region","authors":"J. Nkurunziza, J. C. Udahemuka, Francine Umutesi, Jean Baptise Dusenge","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i2.143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i2.143","url":null,"abstract":"The desire for earthquake hazard mitigation has been the focus of many researchers and governments for decades. This is paramount because an earthquake disaster can quickly cause many injuries, fatalities, and damages. The global database of the 21,000 most devastating disasters (earthquakes included) since 1900 indicates that 50% of them with the most significant number of injuries occurred only during the past 20 years. In human history, the Xaanxi earthquake is ranked third among the disasters that claimed more lives. In addition, earthquakes contributed to six of the most deadly disasters of the past two decades and 21% of the economic losses. In the same period, the earthquakes due to the Virunga volcanic activity were responsible for more than 100 deaths and extensive material and infrastructure damage. The referenced information and statistical data about the earthquake occurrence process, adverse effects, economic losses, and the current technological success in reducing its risks through warning systems are the basis for developing this paper. The authors aim to raise awareness and recommend that the Virunga region countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) be a good place for an Earthquake Early Warning System and Earthquake Management Plan. An Earthquake Early Warning System even caught the attention of the United Nations, where the endorsed Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR, 2015) specified that early warning must be a priority and has to be substantially evolved by 2030.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"206 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133412538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-01DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i1.128
M. A. Marciano, Anderson A. Santos, William K. Souza
Choosing the best instruments, measurement techniques and the most qualified service provider is of paramount importance for an equipment calibration service. For the definition of the most qualified company, selection criteria and weights related to the criteria will be used. Thus, the main objective of this work is to choose the best service provider, that is, the most qualified to perform the calibration services of medical and hospital equipment, considering the listed criteria. The method used was AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). It makes it possible to prioritize, give weight and validate the consistency of the evaluation criteria (considering the importance and relevance). As a result, the validation of the criteria weights was obtained. The company that obtained the best score was the company hired for the service.
{"title":"Application of the AHP Method in Prioritizing the Criteria for the Selection of Calibration Services Provider","authors":"M. A. Marciano, Anderson A. Santos, William K. Souza","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i1.128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i1.128","url":null,"abstract":"Choosing the best instruments, measurement techniques and the most qualified service provider is of paramount importance for an equipment calibration service. For the definition of the most qualified company, selection criteria and weights related to the criteria will be used. Thus, the main objective of this work is to choose the best service provider, that is, the most qualified to perform the calibration services of medical and hospital equipment, considering the listed criteria. The method used was AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). It makes it possible to prioritize, give weight and validate the consistency of the evaluation criteria (considering the importance and relevance). As a result, the validation of the criteria weights was obtained. The company that obtained the best score was the company hired for the service.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"155 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114607657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-01DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i1.146
T. Judd, Y. David
Re-publication of the article published in National Academy of Engineering Perspectives, May 27, 2022, The Growing Role of Clinical Engineering - Merging Technology at the Point of Care | National Academies Copyright and Credit belong to National Academy of Sciences (all rights reserved).
{"title":"The Growing Role of Clinical Engineering: Merging Technology at the Point of Care","authors":"T. Judd, Y. David","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i1.146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i1.146","url":null,"abstract":"Re-publication of the article published in National Academy of Engineering Perspectives, May 27, 2022, The Growing Role of Clinical Engineering - Merging Technology at the Point of Care | National Academies \u0000Copyright and Credit belong to National Academy of Sciences (all rights reserved).","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127892634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-01DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i1.125
Alexei Labrada, E. Santos Febles, José Manuel Antelo
Sleep stage scoring is necessary for diagnosing several sleep disorders. However, it is an intensive and repetitive task and a vital automation candidate. This work seeks to evaluate different kinds of Machine Learning based classification algorithms available in the scientific literature to determine which one fits better the clinical practice requirements. The comparison is made with a predefined experimental design, using electroencephalography, electrooculography, and electromyography signals from the polysomnographic records of the Sleep-EDFx dataset. The comparison considers the accuracy and speed of algorithms based on Linear Discriminate Analysis, Support Vector Machines, Random Forests, and Artificial Neural Networks. The latter group includes the Deep Neural Networks DeapFeatureNet, based on Convolutional Neural Networks, and DeepSleepNet, additionally based on Recurrent Neural Networks. It is determined that several of the tested algorithms boast high accuracy levels (85%). From them, DeepSleepNet is chosen as the fittest due to its considerable advantage in execution time. Nevertheless, the final result should always be reviewed by the experts.
{"title":"Comparison of Automatic Sleep Stage Classification Methods for Clinical Use","authors":"Alexei Labrada, E. Santos Febles, José Manuel Antelo","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i1.125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i1.125","url":null,"abstract":"Sleep stage scoring is necessary for diagnosing several sleep disorders. However, it is an intensive and repetitive task and a vital automation candidate. This work seeks to evaluate different kinds of Machine Learning based classification algorithms available in the scientific literature to determine which one fits better the clinical practice requirements. The comparison is made with a predefined experimental design, using electroencephalography, electrooculography, and electromyography signals from the polysomnographic records of the Sleep-EDFx dataset. The comparison considers the accuracy and speed of algorithms based on Linear Discriminate Analysis, Support Vector Machines, Random Forests, and Artificial Neural Networks. The latter group includes the Deep Neural Networks DeapFeatureNet, based on Convolutional Neural Networks, and DeepSleepNet, additionally based on Recurrent Neural Networks. It is determined that several of the tested algorithms boast high accuracy levels (85%). From them, DeepSleepNet is chosen as the fittest due to its considerable advantage in execution time. Nevertheless, the final result should always be reviewed by the experts.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122586521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-01DOI: 10.31354/globalce.v5i1.136
Oluwasegun O. Adio, I. Uwadiae, Alaba O. Adewumi
The health technology sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is bedeviled by performance failures that make it a significant obstacle to effective patient healthcare interventions. The predominant factors behind the sector’s poor performance have been identified as (a) inadequately trained technical personnel and (b) the unserviceable condition of medical equipment. Past studies show that after adequate training, there is an increase in the proficiency of in-hospital biomedical engineers, but the studies have been limited to the maintenance job description of the engineers. We present a case study of the successful installation of sophisticated medical equipment by an in-hospital engineer to demonstrate that comprehensive training can also develop the installation expertise of local engineers. The installation, which is usually accomplished by the equipment manufacturer, was delegated to the trained in-hospital engineer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the bulk of medical equipment in LMICs is imported, which has led to an over-dependence of their health sectors on non-indigenous technology to the detriment of local alternatives and know-how. The World Health Organization estimates that 7 out of 10 sophisticated medical equipment imported by LMICs are unserviceable due to the issue of compatibility and adaptability with the setting. Previous research focuses on equipment subsidy, frugal innovation, and health technology management to better adapt foreign equipment to the environment. Still, this paper explores the option of indigenous technology and expertise to provide in-country development of suitable and sustainable medical equipment.
{"title":"COVID-19, a blessing in disguise: the experience of a Nigerian radiotherapy engineer","authors":"Oluwasegun O. Adio, I. Uwadiae, Alaba O. Adewumi","doi":"10.31354/globalce.v5i1.136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31354/globalce.v5i1.136","url":null,"abstract":"The health technology sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is bedeviled by performance failures that make it a significant obstacle to effective patient healthcare interventions. The predominant factors behind the sector’s poor performance have been identified as (a) inadequately trained technical personnel and (b) the unserviceable condition of medical equipment.\u0000Past studies show that after adequate training, there is an increase in the proficiency of in-hospital biomedical engineers, but the studies have been limited to the maintenance job description of the engineers. We present a case study of the successful installation of sophisticated medical equipment by an in-hospital engineer to demonstrate that comprehensive training can also develop the installation expertise of local engineers. The installation, which is usually accomplished by the equipment manufacturer, was delegated to the trained in-hospital engineer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u0000Furthermore, the bulk of medical equipment in LMICs is imported, which has led to an over-dependence of their health sectors on non-indigenous technology to the detriment of local alternatives and know-how. The World Health Organization estimates that 7 out of 10 sophisticated medical equipment imported by LMICs are unserviceable due to the issue of compatibility and adaptability with the setting. Previous research focuses on equipment subsidy, frugal innovation, and health technology management to better adapt foreign equipment to the environment. Still, this paper explores the option of indigenous technology and expertise to provide in-country development of suitable and sustainable medical equipment.","PeriodicalId":318587,"journal":{"name":"Global Clinical Engineering Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123947238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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