Related Links

The following list contains a selection of internet resources which may be of interest to you. Please note, however, that the inclusion of an external site in this list does not necessarily imply that the Healthcare Technology Foundation endorses the views expressed at that site.

Professional Societies:

Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ)
The mission, focus, strategic goals, and customers of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are summarized here.

American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE)
Committed to enhancing the profession of clinical engineering. With members in the United States and abroad, the ACCE is the only internationally recognized professional society for clinical engineers.

Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)
The APSF's Mission is to improve continually the safety of patients during anesthesia.

Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) is a nonprofit organization with nearly 6,000 members from around the world united by one mission — to increase the understanding and beneficial use of medical instrumentation through effective standards and educational programs, and publications.

Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES)
The CMBES is Canada's principal society for engineering in medicine and biology. It is affiliated with the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE).

Clinical Engineering Division of IFMBE
The objectives of CED are - To promote improvement in the capacity and quality of the healthcare delivery through co-operation and exchange of information between interested and competent persons working in different countries. Through promotion of collaboration between clinical engineers and other scientific societies, in particular medical societies, and to promote technical and professional guidelines for activities within the Clinical Engineering field, and to facilitate professional development.

Clinical Engineering-Information Technology Community (CE-IT)
The Clinical Engineering-IT Community (CEIT) provides a united voice for clinical engineering, clinicians and IT professionals to create a positive culture of change for medical device design, software and information technology while enhancing the ability of the professionals who support and utilize IT systems and medical devices to converge their respective knowledge.

ECRI Institute
A nonprofit health technology and patient safety research organization that is dedicated to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best for enabling improved patient care. Its list of over 5,000 member and client organizations includes hospitals, health systems, public and private payers, U.S. federal and state government agencies, ministries of health, professional associations, and accrediting agencies worldwide.

ECRI Institute Top Health Technology Hazards
This annual list helps to identify potential sources of danger we believe warrant the greatest attention in the coming year.

Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health (FDA/CDRH)
The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the division of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that is responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. The site contains both professional and consumer information.

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)
With more than one-fourth of its approximately 8,000 members residing outside of the United States, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is the largest international society of Biomedical Engineers.

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
HIMSS is a not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. HIMSS engages in professional development, and research initiatives designed to promote information and management systems.

International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE)
IFMBE,is primarily a federation of national and transnational organizations with interests in medical and biological engineering. The objectives of the IFMBE are scientific, technological, literary, and educational. Within the field of medical, biological and clinical engineering IFMBE's aims are to encourage research and the application of knowledge, and to disseminate information and promote collaboration.

Institute for Medicine (IOM)
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.

Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP)
A nonprofit organization educating the healthcare community and consumers about safe medication practices.

The Joint Commission
An independent, not-for-profit organization, TJC accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs in the United States. Its mission is to improve health care by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

Medical Device Innovation, Safety and Security Consortium (MDISS)
MDISS is a collaborative and inclusive nonprofit professional organization committed to advancing quality health care with a focus on the safety and security of medical devices. We serve providers, payers, manufacturers, universities, government agencies, technology companies, individuals, patients, patient advocates and associations.

National Library of Medicine (NLM)
The National Library of Medicine, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.

National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF)
NPSF has been diligently pursuing one mission since its founding– to improve the safety of the healthcare system for the patients and families it serves. NPSF is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and is unwavering in its determined and committed focus on uniting disciplines and organizations across the continuum of care, championing a collaborative, inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)
ONC is at the forefront of the federal health IT efforts to support the adoption of health information ONC is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.

Patient Safety Organizations (PSO)
The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorized the creation of Patient Safety Organizations to improve the quality and safety of U.S. health care delivery. The Patient Safety Act encourages clinicians and health care organizations to voluntarily report and share quality and patient safety information without fear of legal discovery.

VA National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS)
The NCPS was established in 1999 to develop and nurture a culture of safety throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Our goal is the nationwide reduction and prevention of inadvertent harm to patients as a result of their care. Many NCPS resources are available to the public.

World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

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