Risk assessment - hospital view in selecting medical technology

Appropriate deployment of technological innovation contributes to improvement in the quality of healthcare delivered, the containment of cost, and access to the healthcare system. Hospitals have been allocating a significant portion of their resources to procuring and managing capital assets; they are continuously faced with demands for new medical equipment and are asked to manage existing inventory for which they are not well prepared. To objectively direct their investment, hospitals are developing medical technology management programs that need pertinent information and planning methodology for integrating new equipment into existing operations as well as for mitigating patient safety issues and costs of ownership. Clinical engineers identify technological solutions based on the matching of new medical equipment with hospital's objectives. They review their institution's overall technological position, determine strengths and weaknesses, develop equipment-selection criteria, supervise installations, train users and monitor post procurement performance to assure meeting of goals. This program, together with consistent assessment methodology and evaluation analysis, will objectively guide the capital assets decision-making process. At Texas Children's Hospital we integrated engineering simulation, bench testing and clinical studies with financial information to assure the validity of risk avoidance practice and the promotion of medical equipment and supplies selection based on quantitative measurement process and product comparison practice. The clinical engineer's skills and expertise are needed to facilitate the adoption of an objective methodology for implementing the program, thus improving the match between the hospital's needs and budget projections, equipment performance and cost of ownership. The result of systematic planning and execution is a program that assures the safety and appropriateness of inventory level at the lowest life-cycle costs at the best performance.