Clinical Engineers Take on More Responsibility in Anesthesia Departments

Clinical engineers are assuming broader roles in anesthesiology departments, assisting providers and administrators by approving equipment purchases, training users, integrating biomedical devices and heading patient safety initiatives, according to an Anesthesiology News report.

Clinical engineering departments are increasingly asked to report to a chief information officer or information technology director rather than to the facilities department, according to the report. Anesthesiologists should expect the role of CE departments to grow as staff members are asked to join planning committees and contribute to surgical initiatives.

According to the report, the CE department at Inova Health System in Falls Church, Va., assists the anesthesia committee by separating "nice to have" technologies from "must have" technologies. The department uses equipment test reports, insights from colleagues and the FDA's website to explore adverse event histories of medical devices considered by the committee.

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