2001 Volume 71 Issue 8 Pages 410-411
Clinical Engineering Technologists (CETs), certified by the Japan health and welfare ministry, are experts for life support devices and also managers for the safety of medical equipments in hospitals. CETs performed important roles in Y2K problems, and have been expected as experts for risk management on medical equipments in hospitals. CFTs have to grapple with the problem of disaster medicine, which is a kind of risk management. Some members of Tokyo Association of Clinical Engineering Technologists (TACET) participated in the night experiment of a power failure in the whole building at Shirahigebashi hospital in Jan.1998, which was the first trial in Japan. Roles of CETs in the experiment are shown below. 1. Preparation for power supplies to medical equipments supporting patients. 2. Safety control for patients supported by life support devices, especially ventilators. 3. Check for operation of medical equipments and observation of power supply waveforms, while a private electric generator was in operation following a power failure in the whole building. TACET organized a disaster medicine committee after this experiment and started activity for disaster measures on medical equipments. At first, a member of TACET disaster medicine committee joined in Tokyo metropolitan disaster medicine committee and cooperated with it to make the general manual of disaster measures. And then, the members of TACET disaster medicine committee investigated roles of CETs in disaster medicine. Main roles are shown below. 1. Confirmation on installations of emergency power sources. 2. Confirmation on time limit of battery operation for medical equipments with battery. 3. Preparation for manual methods substituting for ordinary methods with electric power sources. 4. Participation in periodical inspections for electric facilities. 5. Confirmation on storage of medical gas cylinders. 6. Confirmation on water storage and water supply system. 7. Installation of medical equipments and facilities with protection against disasters. 8. Establishment of communication networks in disasters. It's important to make the manual of disaster measures, but it's also important to experience a power failure in disaster training. So, we will make the manual to carry out the disaster training safely.
