A question and concern I regularly hear about is how to determine who handles what piece of equipment—clinical/biomeical engineering or IT? Can you imagine how confusing it must be for the clinicians when they have a service question? Coming up in the November issue we'll publish an article that offers ways to communicate better—between employees, managers, and customers.
In the article, Henry (Hank) Stankiewicz, MS, chief clinical engineer, Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1) of the Department of Veterans Affairs, offered a tip on this topic that makes good sense, and with 60 employees spread out over 11 campuses in six New England states, he knows what he's talking about. Here's an excerpt from the article, written by Carol Daus:
Stankiewicz notes that as equipment has become more computerized, employees throughout his hospitals have become confused about whether a device is serviced by clinical engineering or IT. He solved this problem by developing eye-catching labels that are now placed on all devices, indicating who to call for repairs and servicing.
We'd love to hear your comments on this. Also, do you have an idea—or best practice—that's worked? Be sure to let me know about it.
