In today’s healthcare environment, hospitals typically have 10 to 15 connected medical devices per bed, meaning clinical engineering teams are often responsible for managing thousands of medical assets at each site., This number is only expected to rise. In a high-stakes environment of healthcare, every piece of equipment plays a critical role in patient outcomes.
As hospitals continue to adopt more advanced technology and software, clinical engineers face growing challenges, including connectivity issues, cybersecurity threats and widening skills gaps, often with diminishing resources. The skills gaps often arise from the rapid pace of technological advancement, a shortage of specialized talent entering the field, and staff turnover, making it difficult for existing staff to keep up. In fact, a recent survey found that the majority of clinical engineers (56%) characterize their workload as “heavy” or “excessive.”
Due to constrained resources, health systems may respond to device disruptions reactively, after being notified by system alerts, clinicians or even patients. With the growing volume of connected devices, a proactive approach to medical device management is essential to help prevent disruptions to patient care. When devices aren’t optimally tracked, secured or maintained, the consequences can be serious for both patients and health systems, ranging from potential delays in patient care, decreased patient throughput, and clinician dissatisfaction to diminishing revenue, rising costs, and potential damage to the hospital’s reputation.
The Looming Threat of Under-Resourced Device Management
If left unaddressed, under-resourced device management—including limited investment in tools that drive efficiency—can result in a shortage of trained personnel and critical gaps in technology dedicated to effective utilization and optimal lifecycle management of critical medical equipment. These gaps can manifest as operational inefficiencies that directly impact hospitals’ workflows, and top and bottom lines, including:
- Unplanned Downtime: When devices aren’t properly maintained, calibrated or repaired in a timely manner, the likelihood of equipment failure can increase. This can lead to extended periods of equipment downtime, forcing clinicians to delay procedures, reschedule appointments or even transfer patients to other facilities. The impact of unplanned downtimes on health facilities can be substantial, with an average of $208,600 in immediate lost revenue per facility.
- Cybersecurity Risks: Modern medical devices are increasingly connected, making them and the networks they are connected to potentially susceptible to cyberattacks. Under-resourced IT and clinical engineering departments may lack the expertise or bandwidth to implement robust cybersecurity protocols, monitor threats, and implement software updates or security patches. A cyberattack on medical devices can compromise sensitive data, disrupt patient care, and even endanger patient lives. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach in the healthcare industry is $9.77 million, the highest among 17 industries included in its annual Cost of a Data Breach Report. These costs can escalate significantly if medical devices are directly compromised.
While operational inefficiencies can impact a hospital’s financial health, the most critical risk of under-resourced device management is the direct impact on patient care and safety, for example:
- Malfunctioning Devices and Adverse Events: The most obvious risk for patients is the use of faulty or improperly calibrated equipment. Devices that fail to perform their intended function can have immediate and potentially catastrophic consequences for patients and their families.
- Delayed or Inaccurate Diagnoses: Biomedical equipment, laboratory and diagnostic tools require precise calibration and regular maintenance to provide accurate results. Not maintaining these devices consistently may impact patient diagnoses and treatment.
- Inconsistent Clinician User Experience: Differences in software versions and configurations can distract clinicians and cause delays or interruptions to patient care. Standardizing device interface and functionality can help provide consistent user experience for clinical teams, empowering them to focus on patients rather than devices.
The Value of Investment in Modern Device Management
Effective hospital device management is a necessity, not just an operational task. Hospitals must prioritize and invest in a modern, strategic approach that goes beyond reactive “break-fix.” This means an integrated, proactive and data-driven strategy that considers the entire medical technology lifecycle, from acquisition to decommissioning, with a strong emphasis on patient safety, operational efficiency, and cybersecurity.
A robust device management plan must prioritize investment in both cutting-edge fleet management technologies and skilled personnel. Remote device or fleet management solutions can help address some of the most pressing challenges that clinical engineers and hospital administration are experiencing, including managing and maintaining a growing number of miniaturized connected devices, while navigating staff and resource constraints. These technologies can help clinical engineers instantly locate devices, view real-time device data, efficiently manage device configurations and schedule software updates, among other capabilities. By shifting from a reactive model to data-driven preventive maintenance and lifecycle management, hospitals can reduce unplanned downtime, ensuring critical equipment always functions optimally for more consistent and uninterrupted patient care.
As health systems invest in new technology, it is equally important to invest in clinical engineers’ training based on potential gaps in expertise and to focus on skills associated with optimal maintenance, troubleshooting, and device security. Training strategies should consider diverse formats – virtual sessions, online modules, virtual reality and computer-based learning – to align with the skillsets required and the team’s capacity to engage. Effective device management also requires strong interdepartmental collaboration between IT, clinical engineering, and clinical providers to ultimately optimize patient outcomes.
Addressing the ongoing threat of cyberattacks remains critical, requiring the integration of a dedicated medical device cybersecurity program within the broader hospital security framework, including comprehensive incident response protocols for cyber breaches and device failures. This can involve rigorous risk assessments and robust network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices, while ensuring new technologies are vetted for security and upgradeability before purchase. Health systems increasingly consider solutions to help monitor and alert staff about potential cybersecurity threats, as well as provide recommended fixes.
Treating medical devices as critical assets that require consistent vigilance and strategic oversight allows hospitals to mitigate risks while enhancing the overall quality and reliability of care. By investing in modern device management tools as well as educating and empowering IT and clinical engineering teams, healthcare systems can turn potential vulnerabilities into an asset, helping to improve operational and financial efficiencies, and most importantly, improving patient outcomes.
About Alla K. Woodson
Alla K. Woodson serves as General Manager, Anesthesia & Global Services, for GE HealthCare’s Patient Care Solutions segment. In this role, Alla leads a $1.5B P&L portfolio, focusing on growth, innovation, productivity, and customer delivery across the Patient Care Solutions lifecycle to drive improved patient and business outcomes in acute care settings.
