title: Commentary: the role of mentored internships for systems engineering in improving health care delivery.
abstract: The authors advise the adoption of mentored internships in systems engineering, conducted at academic hospitals, directed by physicians, epidemiologists, and health administrators and overseen by faculty at attendant schools of engineering. Such internships are anticipated to directly address the immediate objectives of administrators and clinicians. Additionally, this affords future generations of health care engineers the opportunity to learn the language and methodology of the medical sciences to provide a common ground for the analysis and understanding of medical systems. In turn, this should foster collaboration between the principal stakeholders in health care delivery--practitioners, administrators, engineers, and researchers--in the collective efforts to improve the quality of services provided.
authors.affiliation: St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63106, USA. Eugene.day@va.gov
authors.forename: T Eugene
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Goldlust
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: True
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008611:Mentors; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013597:Systems Analysis