Annual Scientific Meeting 2013

The BEAI held its 18^th Annual Scientific Meeting on the 5^th of October 2013 in the Maldron Hotel, Tallaght. This conference, entitled ‘Clinical Engineers – A Vital Link for a Safer Healthcare’ explored and evaluated the role of the Biomedical / Clinical Engineer in the provision and delivery of patient safety.

 

Meabh Smith (Chairperson, BEAI) opened the conference with great enthusiasm, speaking about the importance of the Biomedical / Clinical Engineer in patient safety and how the BEAI is developing and adapting to meet the professions needs.

 

Brian Bruno, an Advanced Paramedic Tutor from UCD, delivered the keynote address of the day, speaking about the importance of Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) training and the impact on survival rates with a quick response using this equipment.

 

Justin Carty, Chief Executive Officer of IMSTA, explained how he sees the role of biomedical / clinical engineer’s in the evaluation of medical devices, looking at lessons that could be learnt and funding limitations that face the industry.

 

Paddy McGowan, Letterkenny General Hospital, gave a very interesting and thought-provoking presentation into the recovery process and lessons to be learnt from the recent flooding of Letterkenny General Hospital.

 

Other speakers on the day included Peter Grainger (Naas General Hospital) on HIQA & HSE Assessment Implications for Medical Device Management, Chris Foltin (GE) on Managed Equipment Services, Meabh Smith (Beaumont Hospital and current Chairperson of the BEAI) on Business Continuity, Anne Tobin (IMB) on Vigilance and User Reporting, Barry McMahon (TCD) on the Role of Clinical Engineering in Medical Device Innovation and John Mahady (AMNCH) on the Cost of being Power Cut Ready.

 

There was also a newly introduced Student Session to allow both current and recently graduated students the opportunity to showcase recent works and meet with industry and hospital staff who work with medical devices on a daily basis.

 

Overall, the conference was a great success and received very positive feedback from all on the day.

 

The BEAI are already in the planning stages of the 2014 ASM and hope to build on the success of previous meetings to provide a forum for Clinical / Biomedical Engineers to share their thoughts and network with their colleagues on topics of similar interest.

Further information on this event and upcoming events can be found on the BEAI website www.beai.ie