EBME
Thought leaders highlight EBME challenges
Bridging the divide between IT and EBME will be vital for the digital future of the NHS, along with raising awareness of the profession to the next generation. These and other challenges were among the hot topics discussed at a thought leadership workshop at EBME Expo. Louise Frampton reports.
The thought leadership workshop held at EBME Expo brought together clinical engineering colleagues from across the NHS to discuss the key challenges and opportunities within the sector. A lively discussion identified some of the key frustrations but also highlighted how developing relationships, collaborative working and building bridges between professional roles can help overcome some of these frustrations. Among the hot topics included:
l The future of the profession and how it could evolve to meet the changing demands of health and care in the future.
l Opportunities around training the next generation of clinical engineers to ensure succession planning and career development.
l How the profession can attract (and retain) talent.
l The challenges around technology integration and connectivity.
l The need for clinical engineers and IT to work closer together to ensure optimised medical technology management and
implementation, overcoming traditional barriers and siloed working cultures.
l Whether there is a need to further improve diversity within the sector.
Chairing the session was Iain Threlkeld, Head of Clinical Engineering at the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. Setting the scene for the discussion, he observed that maintenance has become less frequent and less complicated over the years.
“In the past, it may have taken all day to
complete a major service on a ventilator. We might also have spent 3-4 days fault finding to component level on circuit boards. Today, the technology can be plugged into a laptop to perform many of the testing requirements. Whereas maintenance would be performed every 3-6 months in the past, now we can go 3-5 years – or even maintenance free on some devices. These functions are becoming less labour intensive,” he commented. “So, how should the role of the clinical engineer evolve to ensure the profession
remains relevant and an integral part of the NHS?” he asked the expert panel.
Mind the IT gap One suggestion put forward was to become more involved with IT, although breaking down the barriers between these departments can prove challenging at times. User training is another area where the skills and knowledge of clinical engineers could be utilised much more. They could also become more engaged on the frontline of care – rather than being “hidden away in the basement”, they can help solve problems at “the coal face” alongside clinical colleagues. The panel of experts around the table shared their insights and experiences. For the purposes of this article, they will remain anonymous, to protect the identities of those individuals who spoke openly and candidly about the issues at their own Trusts. It was clear that a significant challenge being faced, at present, is software and integration. A clinical engineering lead from one Trust commented that they were fortunate to work very closely with colleagues who had specialist IT knowledge of working with the radiology department. They already had expertise in software updates, integration and conducting audits. Without being able to tap into this knowledge, they would have “felt more lost”, they explained.
When updating an infusion pump, for example, instead of the clinical engineers testing ‘whether the technology worked or not’, the software specialists were able to advise the clinical engineering team on how to conduct a clinical trial of the infusion pump, implement an audit trail, and transfer information via the WiFi. These stringent protocols ensured the equipment was implemented safely, before pushing out the technology to patients. This type of collaborative working proved to be highly beneficial. The clinical engineering lead also pointed out that the audit trail meant that the Trust and the clinical engineering
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I September 2024
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