Medical Equipment Management MPE

Details

Title

Medical Equipment Management MPE

Type

Stage One

Module code

HPE101

Requirement

Compulsory

Module objective

By the end of the this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will be able to analyse, synthesise, evaluate and apply knowledge to support the use of medical devices in their own area of Medical Physics practice throughout the medical device life cycle, including specification, procurement, installation, commissioning, quality control and disposal, in a manner consistent with the roles and responsibilities of a Medical Physics Expert to ensure the safety and efficacy of medical radiation exposures for patients.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will analyse, synthesise, critically evaluate and apply knowledge, and will be able to:

• Critique the international, EU and national legislation, and institutional requirements with respect to specification, procurement and disposal of equipment including:
  • the specifications of a major medical device (e.g. linear accelerator, gamma camera, computed tomography [CT] scanner, cone beam dental CT) for tender purposes, generally and as tailored to particular clinical requirements;
  • acceptability and relevance criteria for medical devices used in their own area of Medical Physics practice both generally and with respect to their specific clinical usage for the purpose of tender assessment;
  • the design of facilities for major medical devices in their own area of Medical Physics practice;
  • the use of evaluation and health technology assessment reports in the specification and procurement process.
• Explain the underpinning principles of commissioning a major medical device (e.g. linear accelerator, gamma camera, CT scanner, cone beam dental CT), including:
  • international, national and local standards for commissioning medical devices in their own area of Medical Physics practice;
  • the operation, calibration and traceability of test equipment used in equipment commissioning;
  • the range of protocols for commissioning a major medical device.
• Critically appraise the quality assurance of a major medical device (e.g. linear accelerator, gamma camera, CT scanner, cone beam dental CT), including:
  • protocols for quality control of major medical devices in their own area of Medical Physics practice;
  • the quality control required for the use of data from different modalities for image registration;
  • the quality control required for the use of data from different modalities for on treatment image verification.
• Describe and explain the ICT requirements for a major medical device, taking into account international, EU, national and institution requirements for computer systems and data protection, including:
  • the technological infrastructure required for a major medical device and knowledge of how to establish the necessary interactions with the infrastructures of other medical specialities within the hospital (e.g. the radiotherapy network, Electronic Patient Record (EPR), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and imaging);
  • the principles of medical device connectivity, connectivity standards and problems with interoperability, including DICOM, HL7, DICOM RT, objects, data analysis tools;
  • the governance arrangements for the protection of patient data, including the national and institutional requirements and the requirements for research and teaching data.

Technical and clinical skills

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will be able to critically apply their knowledge and understanding to develop and evaluate investigative strategies/procedures/processes that take account of relevant clinical and scientific evidence and other sources of information. They will also be expected to critically reflect on their performance and apply in practice a range of clinical skills, and will be able to:

• Develop and evaluate the response to a tender specification for a major medical device installation in their own area of Medical Physics practice through:
  • developing a tender specification for a medical device, taking into account the clinical and service needs;
  • specifying, justifying and ranking the criteria for specifying and selecting medical devices;
  • participating in the selection of medical devices via a tender process;
  • liaising effectively with the Radiation Protection Adviser and the service lead on the design of rooms to accommodate specific devices, taking into account patient and radiation protection requirements;
  • managing the safe decommissioning and disposal of a medical device;
  • participating in a project involving a medical device installation from specification to first clinical use.
• Critically apply their understanding of medical device commissioning and acceptance by:
  • developing commissioning and acceptance test protocols for a major medical device taking into account international, EU and national standards;
  • selecting and ensuring the calibration of appropriate test equipment to be used in the commissioning and acceptance test process;
  • determining the training requirements for staff operating the devices;
  • undertaking and documenting commissioning and acceptance tests;
  • taking appropriate action where medical devices fall outside acceptable criteria for commissioning and acceptance testing;
  • handing over equipment that is safe for clinical use.
• Critically apply their knowledge of the quality assurance framework to their own area of medical physics practice by:
  • critically appraising the quality assurance framework for major medical devices (e.g. linear accelerator, gamma camera, CT scanner, cone beam dental CT), including software devices (e.g. treatment planning systems, image acquisition and processing systems);
  • developing relevant and specific quality control protocols for a major medical device;
  • selecting and ensuring the calibration of appropriate test equipment to be used in the quality control process;
  • undertaking and documenting quality control on a range of medical devices in their own area of Medical Physics practice;
  • assessing deviations of performance parameters from reference levels and interpreting their relevance;
  • taking appropriate action where medical devices fall outside acceptable performance criteria;
  • documenting and reporting faults and liaising with service agents over the repair and maintenance of medical devices;
  • ensuring appropriate handover procedures are followed for taking equipment in and out of clinical service;
  • reviewing the trends in quality assurance data over a suitable time period;
  • liaising with equipment manufacturers during and after the warranty period to ensure ongoing tolerances and accuracies are met.
• Critically apply their knowledge of the interoperability of medical devices by:
  • critically appraising the infrastructure for the interoperability of medical devices in own institution, including the requirements for patient confidentiality and data protection;
  • safely transferring, archiving and retrieving images and data across software and hardware interfaces;
  • advising on the requirements for transferring, archiving, or retrieving data across a hospital network.

Attitudes and behaviours

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST would be expected to consistently demonstrate the attitudes and behaviours necessary for the role of a Medical Physics Expert working within the limits of professional competence and will be able to:

• Apply evidence-based personal and team professional practice placing the patient at the centre of care.
• Act in accordance with the principles and practice of patient-centred care, regularly reflecting on their practise and revising judgements and changing behaviour in light of new evidence and feedback.
• Critically assess and evaluate personal and team-related performance in the context of evidence-based patient care and the safety of workers and the public, identifying areas of good practice and make improvements where necessary.
• Display a professional commitment to ethical practice consistently operating within national and local ethical, legal and governance requirements.
• Accept professional ethical standards and encourage informed debate and critical reflection within healthcare teams.
• Seek advice of peers, legal bodies and regulators in the event of ethical dilemmas, which could include disclosure and confidentiality.
• Respect requests from patients, workers and the public that information should not be shared unless this puts the patient or others at risk of harm.
• Share and discuss information about patient care with the patient unless they have expressed a wish not to receive such information.
• Apply the principles of Good Scientific Practice and the professional standards, performing to the highest standards of personal behaviour in all aspects of professional practice.
• Lead by example, setting high standards of personal behaviour and acting with openness, fairness and integrity, listening to the views of others.
• Work and act in accordance with the requirements for professional
• regulation.
• Promote professional attitudes, values and behaviours at all times.
• Be truthful and admit to and learn from errors.
• Report incidents to relevant people and regulatory bodies where appropriate.
• Inform the statutory regulator if they are cautioned, charged with a criminal offence, suspended or have restrictions placed on their own scientific, clinical, or professional practice.
• Consistently operate in accordance with relevant current national legislation, policy and practice.
• Identify and assess the implications of national legislation, policy and advice for service organisation and delivery of high-quality services.
• Consult with peers and service users as part of obtaining agreement to align services with national legislation, policy and advice.