AIDS and clinical instrumentation: the need for in-house education

Although the risk of exposure to bloodborne infections is not new to health care workers, the increasing number of AIDS patients requiring clinical care stresses the need for education within each clinical engineering service. Education programs should provide information on the level of risk, methods of transmission, appropriate precautionary measures, and proper procedures for sterilizing and disinfecting equipment. Proper education should lead to safe and confident (less fearful) handling of equipment and well-defined procedures and information on sterilization and disinfectants. Although hospitals are currently providing the bulk of educational information to clinical engineering departments (CEDs), this information may need to be supplemented and must effectively be applied to day-to-day activities. A survey of 35 CEDs indicates that some departments do not have broad-based programs that provide adequate information and timely or proper education for all clinical engineering personnel.<>