Clinical engineering program productivity and measurements

The health care delivery system is undergoing evolutionary changes that are also affecting Clinical Engineering. The integration of engineering and the life sciences created an industry whose "product" must be quality patient care. The utilization of technologies in the clinical environment is perpetually growing, and has created a need for professional technical management. The present changing environment requires Clinical Engineers to become effective leaders and efficient managers. The efficient consumption of an organization's resources is dependent on its managers' abilities to assess and optimize their operations under dynamic conditions. This paper describes some means for monitoring the clinical engineering department "output" and for measuring and reporting the relative changes in output, thus enhancing progress toward achievement of established goals. The tools and techniques offered here are not an end in themselves, but are rather a part of the process of maximizing productivity with a commitment to program output quality.