By AAMI
Fifty years ago, a group of pioneering medical device manufacturers, physicians, and inventors banded together to guide the development of healthcare technology. Today, AAMI – the result of their vision – stands as the preeminent organization in developing standards for medical devices, supporting the professionals who work in the healthcare technology field, and promoting the safe and effective use of this technology.
AAMI kicked off its golden anniversary celebration with the launch of a new website and the unveiling of a commemorative logo designed to honor its rich 50-year history. The celebration will continue throughout the year with special events, educational opportunities, and publications.
“This anniversary is really about the extraordinary talents of our members and partners who have committed themselves to improving healthcare technology, supporting patient safety every step of the way,” said AAMI President Robert Jensen. “As healthcare technology evolves ever faster, AAMI is poised to have an even bigger role in shaping that evolution – through its standards; training, certification, and education programs; resource development; and its many patient safety initiatives.”
Today, AAMI is made up of a diverse community of nearly 7,000 professionals, providing a critical forum for healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals, physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, educators, scientists, manufacturers, distributors, government regulators, and others with an interest in safety in healthcare technology.
The theme of the 50th anniversary celebration is “Building Tomorrows,” which recognizes that AAMI – and healthcare technology as a whole – continually builds on the past to create a brighter future.
Since 1967, AAMI has made advances in its stated mission of providing global leadership to support the health care community in the development, management, and use of safe and effective healthcare technology. Its achievements include:
- Helping to shape medical device regulation, especially in its early years as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emerged as the regulatory body for the industry.
- Serving as a neutral convener – bringing diverse stakeholders together to advance the field. For example, since 2010, AAMI and the FDA have hosted seven summits to probe some of the biggest challenges in healthcare technology.
- Taking a leading role in the development of hundreds of international and domestic consensus standards and related documents. The AAMI standards program consists of more than 100 technical committees and working groups that produce standards, recommended practices, and technical information reports covering all aspects of healthcare technology.
- Working with clinical engineers, biomedical equipment technicians, educators, and other experts to coin the term “healthcare technology management” or HTM in 2011 and working with them to showcase the vital role these professionals play in modern health care.
- Building a rich library of resources to support HTM professionals, sterilization experts, and those who design and develop medical devices.
- Organizing a popular and growing annual conference and expo for HTM professionals.
- Launching an eLearning portal, called AAMI University, that offers education and training related to the development and use of medical devices and technologies.
- Expanding the AAMI Foundation to tackle some of the most critical and challenging issues faced in health care, including infusion therapy safety, clinical alarm management, and the continuous electronic monitoring of patients on opioids.
- Expanding its certification programs to support professional development. The AAMI Credentials Institute now maintains five different certification programs serving biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers, radiology equipment specialists, and laboratory equipment specialists.
To learn more about AAMI’s history and the events and activities planned throughout 2017, please visit www.aami.org/50. You can also join in the celebration by using #AAMI50.