Glossary
- Access
- An individual's ability to obtain medical services on a timely and financially acceptable plan.
- Appropriate technology
- see Page 4
- Capital asset
- In this book, a capital asset is a durable item that provides service over an extended period of time. Usually a cost-based, or other arbitrary factor.
- Clinical engineer
- A professional who supports and advances patient care by applying engineering and managerial skills to healthcare technology.
- Cost-effectiveness
- The extent to which a medical technology achieves specified objectives at the lowest possible cost.
- Ease of use
- see Page 6.
- Effectiveness
- Benefit for a given medical problem under average conditions of use.
- Efficacy
- Benefit for a given medical problem under ideal conditions of use.
- Empowerment
- Giving the people who perform the task the authority/responsibility to make change.
- Engineering
- A profession which a knowledge of mathematics and natural science gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.
- Equipment acquisition and deployment
- see Page 7
- Equipment assets management
- See Page 7
- Equipment-related risks
- risks associated with the use of medical equipment can be due to one or more of the following causes: equipment function, equipment malfunction, user's error, utility error.
- Healthcare technology
- See Page 2
- Healthcare technology assessment
- "An investigative process that examines the consequences of the application and deployment of technology to the delivery of healthcare." Hutton H. Editorial. Med Prog Tech 1991;17:65
- Medical technology assessment
- An interdisciplinary program that utilizes acceptable methods and information to provide guidelines and qualifications for the planning, selection, procurement, maintenance, and replacement of medical hardware, software, and supplies. These guidelines are used to prioritize resource allocations and to maximize the quality and value of care provided.
- Quality improvement
- A philosophy and methodology, based on W. Edward Demking and Joseph Duran, of proactive approaches that focus on continual assessment and improvement of clinical, hospitality, operational, and administrative processes.
- Quality of care
- Refers to an organization's objective of care with the most efficient use of resources.
- Risk
- The probability or likeliness that an adverse effect will occur.
- Risk-control Program
- "An organized and systematic activity aimed at controlling and diminishing the probability of a harmful incident which otherwise may lead to the deterioration of care outcome, decline of staff performance, and worsening of the hospital environment." Cooper JB, Newbower PS, Long CP, Learning from anesthesia mishaps, QRB/Quality Review Bulletin. 1981;3:10-16
- Risk management
- An organized program that removes and controls elements that can contribute to the avoidance of exposure to risks and the minimization of liability exposure.
- Safety
- A condition of being safe from danger, injury, or damage.
- SMDA
- Safe Medical Devices Act. This 1990 law sets reporting requirements on "device user facility" such as hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, nursing homes, outpatient treatment facilities, and diagnostic facilities following occurrence of medical device-related injury, illness, or death.
- Standards
- See page 8.
- Strategic planning
- "A continuous process of making present risk-taking decisions systematically and with greatest knowledge of their futurity; organizing systematically the efforts needed to carry out these decisions; and measuring the results of these decisions against the expectations through organized systematic feedback." Drucker PF. Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. New York, NY: Harper & Row; 1974.
- Technology
- "The body of tools emerging from the interplay of scientific knowledge and practical operation applied to specialized purposes." Drucker PF. Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. New York, NY: Harper & Row; 1974.
- Technology assessment
- see page 3.
- Technology diffusion
- see page 4.
- Technology life-cycle
- see page 5.
- Technology management
- A function that coordinates activities within the organization with an objective to achieve results that benefit the organization in both its internal functioning and external relationships.
- Technology manager
- A professional who is qualifies through training and experience to manage medical technology-related programs, programs that systematically support the assessment, planning, acquisition, deployment, maintenance, risk reduction, and replacement of medical equipment and facilities.
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