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Garcia-Ibarra, Berrio, Trujillo-Toro, Salazar and Garcia: Regional Nodes of Colombian Clinical Engineers

dISCuSSIoN • Strengthening interaction with professional engineer-
Every day the strategy of the Regional Nodes gather- ing societies and health technology organizations
around the world.
ing and disseminating information is strengthened in
Colombia. By May 2017 there were 200 clinical engineers, • Improving communication with health care regulation
and by July 2017 there were 40 more. This shows that authorities, hospital managers, and administrators.
the Regional Nodes are responding to the needs of the
• Overcoming communication barriers supported by
clinical engineers.
the use of WebEx platforms necessary to strengthen
The challenges we face as members and leaders of these virtual work.
Regional Nodes are to consolidate a networking culture,
• Construction of a website to share experiences,
overcome communication barriers, approve criteria about
knowledge and documents.
clinical engineering, ensure credibility in the results that
have been obtained, and engage the members to achieve
CoNCLuSIoNS
results in the short term. Furthermore, as leaders we must
Currently, the network has a coverage of 40% in Co-
look for ways to vitalize the National Board and Regional
lombian territory, with leadership from the MoHSP and 8
Nodes to ensure their operation in the long term.
hospitals who have national or JCI accreditations. As well
Currently we are working on network consolidation,
there is the participation of 240 clinical engineers who
information flow improvement, referencing among the
work in 140 hospitals. Additionally, we have the support
members, communication with the MoHSP, and promo-
of the academy represented in 13 universities.
tion of the integration of different stakeholders in clinical
To be part of the Regional Nodes, there should be no
engineering management, including the formation of new
cost for registration or support fees. The members should
Regional Nodes across the country.
only demonstrate an interest in meeting colleagues, shar-
We identified strengths of the Regional Nodes as the
ing their experiences and knowledge, and working to
ability to keep creatively holding meetings and integrating
improve practices in biomedical equipment management.
more participants, maintaining activities that facilitate the
Colombia is a diverse country with large cities and
network of clinical engineers, and developing solutions
dispersed rural areas. Regional meetings make it easier
to common challenges, the management of knowledge,
for areas far away from capitals, and clinical engineers
and the development of human capital.
with limited resources, to have access to information
The main opportunities for improvement are the con-
and tools of the best practices in biomedical equipment
solidation and recognition of the Regional Nodes, keeping
management.
members motivated, and including new members. Finally,
there will soon be the delivery of tangible products de-
CoNfLICT of INTEREST
signed and validated by the Regional Nodes which may
be applicable to our country. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Future work proposed includes:
• Formation of the association or college of Colombian
clinical engineering.
• Increasing the number of members and institutions.
• Supporting the Institute of Health Technology As-
sessment (IETS) in MEM projects.
• Working on joint projects with the American College
of Clinical Engineering’s international committee in
Colombia.

J Global Clinical Engineering Special Issue 1: 33-36; 2018 36