[Clinical engineering. Rationale for implementing the technology in hospitals]

A new clinical engineering service was started in the Hospital General de México, almost 5 years ago, with the technical assistance of Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana and financial support of Patronato del Hospital General de Mexico, A.C. The purpose of such service is to improve all aspects of medical device management in the hospital, i.e., selection, acquisition, installation, quality control, use and maintenance. The project also includes education, research and development related to health care technology. Interesting results have been obtained in each of the areas of clinical engineering, even during the early stages. They are herein presented to the medical community.