PAN AMERICAN HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES – PAHCE. CONFERENCE, WORKSHOPS, AND EXHIBITS. COOPERATION / LINKAGES.

INTERCAMBIOS DE CUIDADO MÉDICO PANAMERICANOS. CONFERENCIA, TALLERES Y EXHIBICIONES. COOPERACIÓN / ENLACES.

Challenges and solutions in software to clinical engineering

E. T. A. Alves
INOVECARE, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Email: elyr@inovecare.com; Ph. +55 21 87160594

This workshop will address challenges faced by clinical engineering sectors and how Information Technology (IT) could be a
great ally. A big tendency is the use of radio frequency identification technology in hospitals. How has the clinical engineering been
preparing for it? Furthermore, how will the IT sector deal with this technology? The aim is to unite these two great players in a
common goal, to increase hospital productivity and to ensure better services for the patients.

Keywords –– challenges, clinical engineering, information technology, tendencies

Each year the investments in health care grows. In proportion, it increases the amount of medical equipment in hospitals.
According to the General Medical Devices Nomenclature (GMDN) there are over 8,000 different devices [1]. This rapid
growth leads the Clinical Engineering to a constant need of updating and searching for information. This sector is
responsible for following the technology's evolution to benefit all the hospital structure - the medical area, its employees, and
especially, the patients. Thus, working at a so challenging area imposes a series of requirements for these professionals. Here
the Information Technology (IT) should be present.
It is hard to know how much has directly been invested in Information Technology specified in clinical engineering
and/or in IT into hospital, as a whole area. However, some cases can be shown. According to Hospital Samaritano's manager,
for example, there is no a single hospital area which its service has not support by an information system, so the IT
department supports the entire hospital operation [2], he said. His investment has reached 1.7 million dollars in 2010.
One of the challenges of clinical engineering sector is the adequacy to technical requirements of the RDC nº. 2, January
25, 2010 [3], by ANVISA. How and what processes could be managed by clinical engineering with IT's use? Another major
challenge is on tracking mobile devices by RFID technology. How is clinical engineering organizing themselves for this
technology, and what are its main allies? How the IT sector see this tendency? Another challenge, observed by IT managers,
is how the commercial programs can be internally integrated to the point of hospital users do not need to use a huge amount
of programs for each specialty? How directors and hospital administrators has seen the issue of using IT resources to
standardize its processes? And how the clinical engineering is involved in this development?
Commenting about solutions, it is already possible to find specialized software to medical area, such as Astrein,
Dínamus, Maximo, Engeman, among others. Some of these companies have specific modules in their programs for clinical
engineering. Another global tendency has been the Internet applicability as a way of information convergence. More and
more commercial software have been operating in 100% web, facilitating access to corporate data.
The objective of this workshop was to examine and discuss how the IT industry is preparing itself for the new tendencies
on health business, focused on clinical engineering, and how the clinical engineers perceive these changes which are always
demanding new solutions.

REFERENCES
[1] B. D. L. M. Iório, E. J. V. Oliveira, V. L. S. N. Button, (2008) “Definition of standardized nomenclature and basic technical specification of biomedical
devices” (in portuguese) “Definição de uma nomenclatura padronizada e de especificações técnicas básicas de equipamentos biomédicos”, Proc.
21rd Brazilian Congress of Biomedical Engineering, Salvador, BA, Brazil, pp.351-354, 16-20 Nov.
[2] T. DUÓ “Samaritano Hospital has the IT management as major strategy” (in portuguese) “Hospital Samaritano tem a gestão de TI como grande
estratégia”. Internet:http://conexaomedica.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/hospital-samaritano-tem-a-gestao-de-ti-como-grande-estrategia/, May 18,
2010 [Feb. 13, 2011].
[3] ANVISA, “Provides of the management of health technologies in healthcare facilities” (in portuguese) “Dispõe sobre o gerenciamento de tecnologias em
saúde em estabelecimentos de saúde.”. Internet:http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis/anvisa/2010/res0002_25_01_2010.html, Jan. 25, 2010
[Feb. 13, 2011]

MARCH 28 - APRIL 1, 2011, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL 385 ISBN: 978-1-61284-918-8

978-1-61284-918-8/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE IEEE Catalog Number: CFP1118G-ART