Development of an inservice educational program for clinical staff

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.