EBME Forums Forums Management Modernisation (Formerly, Controls Assurance) Succeeding with Medical Devices Connectivity

I think we all need to be thinking about how devices connect to the electronic patient record 'EPR'. Debbie Pope (Speaking at the EBME conference in September) sent me an interesting news item about how Addenbrookes is doing what many other Trusts only dream about.
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) haso developed a single vendor-neutral platform for medical device connectivity and data management to inform clinical decision-making, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. CUH chose a medical device integration platform to capture and standardize its device data. This included integrating cardiac monitors, ventilators, anesthetic devices, and C02 monitors into CUH’s EPR. They have managed to save £2.6million and decreased theatre turnaround times by three minutes per case. CUH is currently evaluating analytics within the medical device integration system that can help ensure connectivity uptime, improve battery management, and optimise device utilisation.

https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/06/how-cambridge-university-hospitals-nhs-ft-saved-2-6m/

Hi John
Thank you for bringing this
Medical Device Connectivity will be major things to come in future of medical device technology and Clinical Engineers should not let themselves behind by thinking this is job for IT.

i have been lucky to work on ongoing connectivity projects as clinical engineer with major worldwide vendor where by my input on how the medical devices intergrate to network infrastructure was an eye open for IT staff who mostly had no idea where to start and also had issues of not wanting to be associated with any configuration set up on medical devices, because they that was beyond their scope of only to deal with IT equipment.

Although through time, the bond was formed and we all realise we both had major part to play and learn from each other to accomplish the NHS Digital.

This has open my knowledge on things like HL7 and medical device connectivity technology for clinical engineers to ensure that not only the device works as medical device for diagnostic, monitoring or therapeutic but also as tool to delivered patient journey efficiently and effectively through decision making due to fast availability of patient information.

Thats interesting John, Medical Device Conectivity seems to be what the future holds in Healthcare Technology, that will be the future career for upcoming Bio-Meds, I'll leave it to the younger generation to carry the baton in that regard. I know I must be getting on when I become dismayed when I hear of the efficiency drives in the NHS and a 3 minute decrease in theatre turnaround is considered progress.

Hi Tek & Kit,
Yes, any biomeds wanting to accelerate their career should get up to speed with the latest innovations in connectivity and digitization. I have put together a 'crib sheet' of the acronyms and management tools which we will put out in the next newsletter. Being long in the tooth is no excuse Kit, the government will probably extend the retirement age by 10 years to pay for covid ;-)