8 DECEMBER 2023IN MY OPINIONBIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING/CLINICAL ENGINEERINGBy Sojan Paul, Manager, Biomedical Engineering & Technology services, Western NSW Local Health DistrictBACKGROUNDWNSWLHD is home to a population of 278,800 people living across a large geographical area of 246,676 square kilometres, which includes 13% Aboriginal people and 12% of people aged 70 and over. The management of electromedical equipment across the Western NSW Local Health District is the responsibility of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Department. Day to day activities of BMETs are challenging as the clinical staff relies on the equipment for patient care, and it is the responsibility of the technicians to make sure all devices are ready and safe to use for patients. Response to the reactive work varies depending on the issue, and not every day is same. The BMETs prioritise the work according to the criticality of the incident. The normal duties of BMETs include but are not limited to Corrective and Preventative Maintenance, Acceptance Tests, Recall and Asset Management, Inventory Control, Procurement of parts and devices, Asset disposal, and project delivery. It is the team's responsibility to make sure the standardisation of the devices is met so that the technicians can respond or act on the issues in a timely manner. As technology changes, the BME Team is supplied with all necessary tools and training to do the work on site and has access to various Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Manuals. Technicians work closely with OEM regarding the procurement of parts or repairs/calibration of the devices, which cannot be performed onsite. Constant consultations with the Clinical Team are conducted to ensure the devices are fit for purpose and rectify any device issues.REPORTING & DATABASESBME Services falls under the Directorate of Corporate Services and Clinical Support and reports to Jeff Morrissey, Director-Corporate Services & Clinical Support.Sojan Paul
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