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Editor’s  Corner
Magic and miracle might mean the same thing to some 

people, but there is a vast difference between the two 
terms. What is the difference between magic and mira-
cle? To a large degree, the response depends on who is 
answering. A gambler would say perhaps it depends on 
the size of the booty. While a faith-based person might 
respond that a miracle is the extraordinary work of god 
or his/her disciple, while magic is the extraordinary act 
of a person. One would be considered a sage or miracle 
worker while the other would be considered a sorcerer 
or magician. Magic may also be used in a derogatory 
way, suggesting deception, particularly in discussions of 
spirituality and stewardship. Miracles on the other hand 
are used to describe things we do not understand and 
are related to various faith traditions as being perhaps 
the result of some powerful super being intervening in 
the world.

As someone who, over the past three decades, has 
helped create organizations whose purpose was to 
improve patient care outcomes by strengthening the 
communities of clinical engineers (CEs), I’ve pondered 
these very questions. Each time a new organization has 
been established I’ve wondered if I am witnessing a mir-
acle or magic? This started over 30 years ago with the 
creation of the American College of Clinical Engineering 
(ACCE),1  and continued with the formation of the Center 
for Telehealth & eHealth Law (CTeL),2  5 years later.  This 
was followed about 18 years ago by the establishment of 
the Healthcare Technology Foundation (HTF).3 All these 
organizations filled a specific gap, empowered profes-
sionalism, gave a voice, and became impactful over time 
as well as operationally effectively elevating the level of 
cooperation and knowledge sharing among peers.

In recognition of the growth in the number of aging 
persons around the world, the need for faster adoption 
of new technological tools, rising expectations of con-
sumer’s from health care programs, and the changing 

regulations of healthcare products, the 2019 Global CE 
Summit, held during the 3rd ICEHTMC4 Congress in Rome, 
Italy, focused on identifying paths that CEs can take to 
optimally address these issues. The top-ranking action 
path at the Congress was a vote to “increase the CE role 
in decision-making processes.” But, a couple of months 
later the world was engulfed with the devastation of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The world we were living in had 
changed forever and we’re facing a new set of challenges. 
This challenge involved the need to urgently improve 
availability and access to need healthcare technological 
tools. This included personal protection equipment, 
mechanical ventilators, oxygen supplies, and safe spaces 
for caring for infected patients. Just as important was the 
need to manage the safety and quality of inventories and 
disinfecting processes. As the world keeps on changing, 
CEs are searching for valid guidance on how to optimally 
manage the lifecycle and scarcity of these technological 
tools. These tools are not only critical for healthcare 
providers but the public as a whole and populations 
have grown to depend upon their ability to help save 
lives. The role of CEs has increased significantly and has 
become more critical than ever within just the past few 
months (see the Global CE Journal issue on COVID-195). 
With an aging vulnerable population, the inability of the 
supply chain to deliver life-critical technological products 
and adapt to a shifting focus on safety and quality has 
been apparent.6 

In an article published in this issue of our Journal 
“International Survey of Clinical Engineering Profes-
sionals,” the authors concluded that “Patient care out-
comes stand to improve when healthcare technology is 
optimally managed. Identifying the global challenges 
faced by the international community of CEs is the first 
step towards overcoming them and the shared goal of 
better healthcare outcomes can then be better guided. 
Establishment of global collaboration and structure to 
achieve partnerships will help to overcome barriers, 

http://www.globalce.org
http://www.globalce.org


J Global Clinical Engineering Vol.3 Issue 2, 2020  2

support professional development, and increase rec-
ognition, as well as addressing other challenges facing 
the CE profession.”7

The combination of evolution and COVID-19 as an 
inflection point has magnified the dependence of the 
future of healthcare outcomes on access to a pool of 
competent practitioners in each phase of the technology 
lifecycle. From ideation to commissioning and integra-
tion to servicing and program managing, we have no 
choice but to empower all national CE groups. This can 
be accomplished by joining a global alliance of clinical 
engineering that advances the field via cooperation, 
collaboration, increased visibility, and unique unified 
relevant representation that seeks to improve the delivery 
of safe, effective, and high-quality care and its outcomes 
and thus gain a seat at the decision-making table.    

There is no miracle or magic here. Rather hard work, 
persistence, and the commitment to act as professional 
members of the healthcare team is what’s needed. And 
that is my colleagues, the purpose of the new Global 
Clinical Engineering Alliance (http://globalcea.org).

I am sure that you will join me in welcoming this 
new baby to a safer and better world (welcoming video: 
https://youtu.be/Hz_y5l6eZP0 )

REFERENCES

1. The American College of Clinical Engineers. Homepage. 
Available at:  https://accenet.org

2. Healthcare Technology Foundation. Homepage. Avail-
able at:  http://www.thehtf.org/

3. The Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law. CTeL Dig-
ital Health Summit. Homepage. Available at:  http://
www.ctel.org

4. International Clinical Engineering Health Technology 
Medical Congress. The 3rd ICEHTMC Congress Rome, 
Italy, October 2019. Available at:  http://www.ice-
htmc2019.com/index.html

5. Global Clinical Engineering Journal. Special Issue on 
COVID-19. Available at:  https://www.globalce.org/
index.php/GlobalCE/issue/view/9

6. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Emergency 
Use Authorization. [Internet]. Available at:  https://
www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-re-
sponse/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/
emergency-use-authorization

7. David Y. et al: International Survey of Clinical Engineering     
Professionals. Global CE Journal 2020;3(2). https://
globalce.org/index.php/GlobalCE/article/view/111

 

Together we are making it better!

Dr. Yadin David

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are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is 
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http://www.globalce.org
http://www.globalce.org
http://globalcea.org
https://youtu.be/Hz_y5l6eZP0
https://accenet.org
http://www.thehtf.org
http://www.ctel.org
http://www.ctel.org
http://www.icehtmc2019.com/index.html
http://www.icehtmc2019.com/index.html
https://www.globalce.org/index.php/GlobalCE/issue/view/9
https://www.globalce.org/index.php/GlobalCE/issue/view/9
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

