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Ask George
What’s in a name?
Ask George In this column, BI&T features questions and answers between AAMI members and George Mills, director of the Department of Engineering at The Joint Commission. Become part of the discussion and ask questions about those subjects that matter to you the most. You can submit your Joint Commission question at this link: www.aami.org/tmcconnect/ askgeorge.html. Or to join AAMI’s Joint Commission e-forum, which is open to all AAMI members, visit www.aami.org/tmcconnect/ discussiongroups.html. Some of the questions and answers may have been edited for space, style, and clarity.
Many times when I am speaking to a group of … That’s the problem I have. Am I speaking to a group of clinical engineers? A group of biomedical engineers? A group of BMETs? I have wrestled for years with what title to use in referring to those who manage medical equipment. I can talk to other healthcare groups and generalize pretty easily. When talking about the Environment of Care, I can say to “those of us in facilities…” or “those of you in safety or security …” and everyone is comfortable with this. But I always hesitate when addressing those who manage medical equipment. So recently at a meeting hosted by AAMI [Future Forum III] we had about 25 of us in one room plus AAMI staff. At one point the discussion came to the various titles used. I had thought that “healthcare technology management” would replace the different titles, but I was informed this was really more of an umbrella term for the field. After a lengthy discussion, we landed on the following definitions, which I plan to use in all future articles and speaking engagements (although I plan to default to BMET when unsure of the audience). • A clinical engineer (CE) has a four-year engineering degree with an emphasis on clinical engineering. • A biomedical engineer (BME) has a four-year degree, and typically works in research or manufactur-
ing, occasionally in a healthcare setting. • A biomedical equipment technician (BMET) has a two- or four-year degree (or military equivalent) and works in a healthcare setting. Certification for a biomedical equipment technician is a formal recognition by the International Certification Commission (ICC). A BMET who has achieved this certification is called a certified biomedical equipment technician (CBET). Stryker takes care of our universal instruments, cleaning and setting them up, along with cleaning and wrapping the cameras, light cords, and scopes in the Sterile Processing Department (SPD). Our requirements are that you need to be certified to work in SPD. According to Stryker, its staff is trained, but not certified. Is this something that I can get in trouble with The Joint Commission?
The Joint Commission would expect you to follow your policies and requirements. Currently, you would not be compliant with your own policies, and likely a finding would be written at HR. What I would suggest is that you re-visit your organization requirements related to certification, to ensure this is necessary. If you conclude that certification is needed to assure the quality outcome, then either your vendor will need to meet your requirements or you may need to replace the vendor.
Our institution is addressing the Sentinel Event Alert on alarm safety. One of the strategies suggested is to assess whether the acoustics in patient care areas allow critical alarm signals to be audible. Can you provide guidelines on how to accomplish this?
This was an issue identified in the previous 2003/2004 National Patient Safety Goal—the inability of staff to hear the patient alarm. The solution then was to physically audit the care environment, working with nursing to adjust the alarm levels or create alternative notification systems. For some, this meant tying alarms into smartphones or pagers. For others, this was accomplished by interfacing with the units nurse call system. Include in the assessment the physical characteristics associated with the occupied space and related equipment. In our hospital, we have small refrigerators in some patient rooms. These are for that patient and family members only. Is it required by TJC to monitor the temps, etc., per PC.20.02.03 EP 11?
The Joint Commission would expect that your organization conducts a risk assessment to determine if monitoring was needed or appropriate. Typically, we do find policies that include patient and patient family orientation including use and cleaning of the refrigerator. n
Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology May/June 2014
165
Ask George
What’s in a name?
Ask George In this column, BI&T features questions and answers between AAMI members and George Mills, director of the Department of Engineering at The Joint Commission. Become part of the discussion and ask questions about those subjects that matter to you the most. You can submit your Joint Commission question at this link: www.aami.org/tmcconnect/ askgeorge.html. Or to join AAMI’s Joint Commission e-forum, which is open to all AAMI members, visit www.aami.org/tmcconnect/ discussiongroups.html. Some of the questions and answers may have been edited for space, style, and clarity.
Many times when I am speaking to a group of … That’s the problem I have. Am I speaking to a group of clinical engineers? A group of biomedical engineers? A group of BMETs? I have wrestled for years with what title to use in referring to those who manage medical equipment. I can talk to other healthcare groups and generalize pretty easily. When talking about the Environment of Care, I can say to “those of us in facilities…” or “those of you in safety or security …” and everyone is comfortable with this. But I always hesitate when addressing those who manage medical equipment. So recently at a meeting hosted by AAMI [Future Forum III] we had about 25 of us in one room plus AAMI staff. At one point the discussion came to the various titles used. I had thought that “healthcare technology management” would replace the different titles, but I was informed this was really more of an umbrella term for the field. After a lengthy discussion, we landed on the following definitions, which I plan to use in all future articles and speaking engagements (although I plan to default to BMET when unsure of the audience). • A clinical engineer (CE) has a four-year engineering degree with an emphasis on clinical engineering. • A biomedical engineer (BME) has a four-year degree, and typically works in research or manufactur-
ing, occasionally in a healthcare setting. • A biomedical equipment technician (BMET) has a two- or four-year degree (or military equivalent) and works in a healthcare setting. Certification for a biomedical equipment technician is a formal recognition by the International Certification Commission (ICC). A BMET who has achieved this certification is called a certified biomedical equipment technician (CBET). Stryker takes care of our universal instruments, cleaning and setting them up, along with cleaning and wrapping the cameras, light cords, and scopes in the Sterile Processing Department (SPD). Our requirements are that you need to be certified to work in SPD. According to Stryker, its staff is trained, but not certified. Is this something that I can get in trouble with The Joint Commission?
The Joint Commission would expect you to follow your policies and requirements. Currently, you would not be compliant with your own policies, and likely a finding would be written at HR. What I would suggest is that you re-visit your organization requirements related to certification, to ensure this is necessary. If you conclude that certification is needed to assure the quality outcome, then either your vendor will need to meet your requirements or you may need to replace the vendor.
Our institution is addressing the Sentinel Event Alert on alarm safety. One of the strategies suggested is to assess whether the acoustics in patient care areas allow critical alarm signals to be audible. Can you provide guidelines on how to accomplish this?
This was an issue identified in the previous 2003/2004 National Patient Safety Goal—the inability of staff to hear the patient alarm. The solution then was to physically audit the care environment, working with nursing to adjust the alarm levels or create alternative notification systems. For some, this meant tying alarms into smartphones or pagers. For others, this was accomplished by interfacing with the units nurse call system. Include in the assessment the physical characteristics associated with the occupied space and related equipment. In our hospital, we have small refrigerators in some patient rooms. These are for that patient and family members only. Is it required by TJC to monitor the temps, etc., per PC.20.02.03 EP 11?
The Joint Commission would expect that your organization conducts a risk assessment to determine if monitoring was needed or appropriate. Typically, we do find policies that include patient and patient family orientation including use and cleaning of the refrigerator. n
Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology May/June 2014
165
