The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation Podcast - AAMI – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we continue our discussion with three human factors experts: Kate MacNamee, MaryBeth Privitera, and Michael Wiklund.

Kate is a senior human factors engineer and program manager at Farm, a Flex Company.

MaryBeth is principal of human factors and research at HS Design, Inc., and a professor and the director of the Medical Device Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Cincinnati.

Michael Wiklund is general manager of human factors engineering at EMERGO by UL.

With us today are three human factors experts: Kate MacNamee, MaryBeth Privitera, and Michael Wiklund.

Kate is a senior human factors engineer and program manager at Farm, a Flex Company.

MaryBeth is principal of human factors and research at HS Design, Inc., and a professor and the director of the Medical Device Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Cincinnati.

Michael Wiklund is general manager of human factors engineering at EMERGO by UL.

What's the optimal way to perform device maintenance? Although implementing an AEM program can save healthcare facilities time and money, the concept has caused confusion for many in the healthcare technology management community. To start, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines AEM as "alternate equipment management," whereas The Joint Commission uses "alternative equipment maintenance. Through the recent publication, AEM Program Guide: Alternative PM for Patient Safety, author Matthew Baretich seeks to cut through the confusion by offering practical, real-world guidance for implementing a well-crafted AEM program and remaining compliant with applicable standards and regulations.

How are hospitals doing with sterile processing, and what's the biggest challenge to effective sterilization today? Sterile processing expert and author Rose Seavey shares her insights, offering tips to both healthcare facilities and the makers of medical devices. She also talks about ST79, a widely used standard for steam sterilization, which has just been released with a major update. This podcast is sponsored by Healthmark.

With cybersecurity attacks on the rise in healthcare and a growing appreciation for the threats posed to patients, patch management is more important than ever—yet it remains a challenge for most hospitals. Why? "I don't think there's any other industry that has such a diversity of different devices from different manufacturers run in an environment where the pieces are so dependent on each other. That makes it difficult to, for example, take one device down, patch it and reboot it without affecting other devices" said Axel Wirth a distinguished technical architect for Symantec Corporation and a member of the BI&T Editorial Board. A cybersecurity expert, Wirth shares his tips for patch management and his "defense in depth"; framework that he believes all healthcare facilities should adopt. This podcast is sponsored by Nuvolo.

What’s the biggest mistake hospitals make in introducing and implementing wireless technologies? “Not appreciating the complexity,” says Shawn Jackman, co-chair of AAMI’s Wireless Strategy Task Force and founder and CEO of Clinical Mobility Inc. In a conversation with host Terry Baker, Jackman explains what HTM professionals can do to educate themselves about wireless technologies and provides suggestions for what hospitals must do now to achieve wireless success.

Produced by: The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation

The clinical engineering team at Intermountain Healthcare has a success story to share about its initiative to safeguard its medical equipment from viruses and cyberattacks. Two members of the team, Mike Busdicker and Priyanka Upendra, describe how they conducted a systemic review of all network-connected devices and, working with other departments, came up with a plan to address potential vulnerabilities. They share their tips and lessons learned, and advise all healthcare facilities to embrace cybersecurity management as an ongoing priority.

Produced By:The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation

Just a few months on the job, new AAMI President and CEO Robert Jensen describes his vision for the association, how his time as a Marine officer helped to prepare him for this job, and the opportunities (and challenges) he sees for the healthcare technology community. A crucial part of AAMI's mission, Jensen said, is to help provide "visionary ideas" so that the professionals on the frontlines of healthcare technology can "craft the future that will actually serve the patients and the full community." Jensen shares with podcast host Terry Baker his idea of what success at AAMI will look like under his leadership.

Sponsored by: Healthmark

Produced By: AAMI and Healthcare Tech Talk

Medical imaging technology has advanced considerably in modern times, with the rise of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Factor in the growth of 3D and 4D imaging, along with the integration of imaging with computers and software, and it’s easy to understand why imaging is one of the most exciting areas in healthcare technology. Glen McQuien, director of operations at Modern Biomedical and Imaging Inc., talks about the changes he’s seen in his career and those that are on the horizon. And McQuien, a member of the BI&T Editorial Board, has some advice for hospitals trying to figure out how to make smart purchasing decisions when it comes to imaging technology.

Produced By: AAMI and Healthcare Tech Talk

Hospitals are under pressure to draft and implement comprehensive policies that show they have a handle on the crucial patient safety issue of alarm fatigue. There’s been an explosion in the number of medical devices with alarms and alerts, resulting in a noisy healthcare setting and desensitizing clinicians to the meaning or importance of alarms. With more alarms going off, the intended goal of alerting clinicians to true emergencies has been diminished, and patient safety has been imperiled. Ronald Wyatt, MD, the patient safety officer and medical director at The Joint Commission and Maria Cvach, DNP, CCRN, director of policy management and integration for the Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, MD,  talk about what hospitals should be doing—and how they can make a positive difference with effective clinical alarm management. Sponsored by Spacelabs Healthcare.

Clinical Alarm Management Compendium

Produced By: AAMI and Healthcare Tech Talk