Spectrum Summer 2021

Welcome to the Spectrum Journal Summer edition everyone and hopefully this is a summer, where, as restrictions are lifted, our spirits and general wellbeing are too!

We have a great edition in store and as usual, Frank Kelly, our dedicated Spectrum Journal lead, along with the BEAI Spectrum Journal Committee, have collated excellent articles from numerous contributors across the clinical engineering and healthcare professional sector.

Our cover story leads with the Electronic Health Record piece and we have two articles in this section. Dee Shanahan, PAS electronic health record manager, Children’s Health Ireland, gives a detailed outline of the National Children’s Hospital and the electronic health record concept; and Eoghan Hayden, Department of Clinical Engineering, the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, presents an article on the Maternal & Newborn – Clinical Management System, which has been 11 years in national planning. With the hacking controversy surrounding our healthcare system at the moment, these articles are timely and must-reads. Everyone should be proud of their dedication and contribution to the healthcare system, not just during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now with this nationwide cyber attack.

We also have a wonderfully written obituary by Fran Hegarty in tribute to Charlie O’Neill. Charlie was an influential figure in clinical engineering, both nationally and internationally, and his legacy will live on.

In our engineering section, we have a brilliant piece on early clinical engineering from Tony Fletcher – it really paints a clear picture of how the industry worked in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. 

We also feature an article from David Farrell on the specialist rehabilitation services in the National Rehabilitation Hospital and how the Clinical Engineering Department has helped these services evolve.

In our Education and Training section, Dermot Cranny, training expert, outlines the systems approach in training design and the objectives of this approach; and Cathy Roets, Training and Education Operations Manager, Cardiac Services, discusses embracing new technologies while putting patients first.

We are preparing to take part in the IFMBE CED 4th International Clinical Engineering and Health Technology Management Congress, which is scheduled for September 28, 2021.

In our Medical Technology section, Maurice Moran, product specialist, Oxygen Care Ltd, outlines how we can reduce the risk of infections in the clinical environment; and Colm Holland, senior clinical engineering technician, South-Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Co Cork, writes about how virtual surgical planning can be more beneficial than traditional planning methods.

We also have an excellent article on renal services from Colin Hendrick, service manager, Pinewood Healthcare, who provides an overview of how the Beacon Renal Dialysis Group came to fruition.

I hope you enjoy learning a lot from these articles – the content is as always, of a very high standard – so thank you to all who submitted, and I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer.

 

 

 

 

______________

Brian Kearney

Chairperson, BEAI

Email: chairperson@beai.ie