Hospital Technology Management

Medical devices are used today in virtually every healthcare delivery process, and the range and complexity of issues that can arise from their use is very diverse. The need for a comprehensive program for medical technology management, able to ensure that all technologies in use are performing as intended by the manufacturer and are safe for the patients and the personnel, is evident. For the overall management of medical technology, Clinical Engineering Departments (CEDs) were established in the 1970s and their role remains essential. CEDs’ activities encompass services covering all aspects of the lifespan of medical devices used in hospitals, it starts from purchase planning and acquisition, involves equipment maintenance and training, covers vigilance aspects, and follows the devices up to their disposal. In order to reliably perform these rather complex tasks related to medical equipment management, hospitals have to establish well-structured programs, usually applying specifically designed medical equipment management systems. These are nowadays complex database management tools used to collect, store, and analyze data related to medical equipment, often network-based and interconnected with other hospital information systems. In the future, an even more accelerated development of new healthcare technologies which will be largely interoperable is expected. This expansion of technologies used will further contribute toward an improvement of healthcare delivery, but at the same time, toward the introduction of new demands for comprehensive medical technology management. This chapter gives an overview of various aspects related to the management of medical technology in the hospital environment and discusses some of the future trends and perspectives in the field.