ACEW Baltics 2000

Advanced Clinical Engineering Workshop Baltics 2000

Joseph F. Dyro, dyro@alum.mit.edu

The Eleventh Advanced Clinical Engineering Workshop (ACEW) was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 25-29 September 2000. Some forty delegates from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia attended the ACEW, held at the Vilnius University Hospital.

Host of the event was the Hospital's Chief Biomedical Engineer, Rimantas Batakys. His organisation and support during the ACEW was efficient and effective. Internet access was made available for the faculty. The modern conference facilities were comfortable and well-appointed. Ample, varied and tasty nurishment was obtained from the adjoining cafeteria and refreshments were had at the morning and afternoon breaks. Simultaneous translation was provided.

Peter Heimann gave introductory remarks welcoming delegates and faculty on behalf of the World Health Organization and Andrei Issakov. Dr Daiva Brogiene, Director of the Department of Health Care of the Ministry of Health, Lithuania, acquainted the participants and faculty with the status of Medical Technology Support in the Baltics. At this point a historic event occurred, the signing of the agreement to establish BaltMedTech, a cooperative effort to advance health care technology management in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Signatories to the agreement were Dr Maris Plavins representing Latvia, Rima Vaitkiene for Lithuania, and Siim Aid for Estonia.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia sign BaltMedTech Agreement

Dr Antanas Vinkus, General Director of Santarisskiu Klinikos, i.e., the University Hospital, was pleased to be able to host the ACEW. The ACEW faculty, led by workshop co-ordinator Al Jakniunas, comprised Tobey Clark, Yadin David, Joe Dyro, Bob Morris and Jim Wear. The faculty were joined by Lars Löefstedt of Uppsala University Hospital, Raymond Matulionis of the University of Wisconsin, and Erkki Vauramo of Helsinki University of Technology.

After the official welcome and signing of the BaltMedTech Project agreement. Dr Martti Kekomäki, Chief Medical Officer of Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland spoke on the Healthcare Manager's Perspective and the Role of Technology in Modern Healthcare.

After that Al Jakniunas gave a condensed overview of the workshop topics. Yadin David followed with Healthcare Technology and Healthcare Technical Services and then Components of Technology Assessment and Strategic Planning. Peter Heimann concluded the opening day with a discussion of National Healthcare Equipment Policy and the WHO Essential Healthcare Technology Package.

Day two consisted of Planning, Selection and Procurement Strategies by Jakniunas, Technology Assessment in the Local Healthcare Facility by David, Ongoing Relationships with Manufacturers by Clark, and Ambulatory Healthcare Demonstration Center by Matulionis.

Morris began the third day with a talk on Maintenance and Service Management, Löefstedt followed this with a presentation on Quality Assessment of a Clinical Engineering Department, and Clark (shown right) ended the day with Budgeting and Financial Reporting. The veterans on the ACEW faculty watched the rookie Clark like a hawk and unanimously agreed that he did great on his first ACEW outing.

Wear addressed Human Resource Development on the morning of the fourth day and Dyro spent the afternoon on Safety and Risk Management, Accident/Incident Investigation, and Quality Improvement.

"I can drink the lot," Heimann boasts.

The last day saw Morris presenting Installation of Medical Equipment and the entire faculty joining in a panel discussion of Utility Systems. Jakniunas concluded with a Summary of Workshop Goals, Objectives, and Conclusions. Many delegates remained for a final presentation by Morris on Medical Equipment Troubleshooting.

Social functions included a reception following the first day co-hosted by BaltMedTech and ACEW. In the evening of the second day, the faculty and delegates dined at a traditional Lithuanian folk restaurant where entertainment included musicians and waiters and waitresses in native costume.

Dyro pours a libation

Comfortable accommodations were provided close to the hospital for the faculty and delegates. As luck would have it the accommodation was next door to the home of Franek Dyro and family, cousins of ACEW faculty member Joe Dyro. Joe, who travelled to Lithuania with his mother, Mary Dyro, stayed with their Vilnius relatives.

The faculty helped Dyro celebrate his birthday at a local wild game restaurant, where elk, moose, bear and wild boar were served up in traditional Lithuanian style accompanied by delicious wild mushrooms and hearty beet soup. Bob Morris challenged the well-recognized excellent Lithuania vodka when he proffered a bottle of Mongolian vodka. Bob had acquired the bottle while in Mongolia just before the workshop. It proved to be as delicious as it was ephemeral.

Dyro cousins: Jolita, Vitalij, Joe, Mary, Franek & Vera

General Alfred Thanks the Troops

Al Jakniunas, AJakniunas@huhosp.org

I thank the entire faculty for the great job done in Vilnius. I have received many good comments from Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians as to the valuable material presented at the workshop. If I could summarize all in one sentence it would be "So much great stuff in such a short time..."
Or "..this will help us realize what we have to do next...".

A special thanks to Joe Dyro for the wonderful songs we had all the evenings, to Jim Wear for last-minute agenda changes two or three times a day with a smile, to Yadin David for providing the image of the clinical engineer with an unlimited budget, to Tobey Clark for taking the first cold shower so that I could have a hot shower, to Peter Heimann for accomplishing the impossible feat of getting the three Baltic countries to agree on a single goal, and to Bob Morris for staying clean and not ending up in the Vilnius airport jail. Last but not least, thanks go to the man from WHO, ACCE member Andrei Issakov, without whom this event would not have occurred.

David Reflects on the Baltics

Yadin David, ybdavid@texaschildrenshospital.org

Now that I am back at the office I began to realise what a week in the Baltic it was. I, for one, am very happy for having this opportunity to meet such an intelligent group of people and be part of one of the best Advanced Clinical Engineering Workshops ever. I missed Andrei, but I'm sure we'll have another chance to raise a glass with him.

Mary Dyro gives Yadin, Bob & Jim some presentation tips

There is so much to do and so little resources to do it with. However, the great ACCE team under general Al's leadership and WHO private Andrei's support witnessed a somewhat historic event, the three Baltic countries signing an important agreement, the formation of BaltMedTech, a good omen for a new beginning. What a great feeling it was to share the expertise of ACCE with a progressive group that is so interested in improving the health conditions and clinical environment of their respective countries. I was proud to have been part of such a great team and of such an event.

Rymantas Batakys, Al Jakniunas & Jim Wear (l. to r.)