Bio: Kevin Taylor, MSc.Eng., P.Eng., has over 30 years of international and national Health Technology Management experience.  Kevin had the opportunity for the Northwest Territories to help draft and implement the first health technology Right to Repair policy in Canada.  Kevin acts as a national champion on health technology Right to Repair for the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society and co-chairs their Right to Repair Committee.

Abstract: Recent events like COVID as well as increasing wait lists and cost of healthcare have emphasized the need for repair resilience of health technology owned by Canada’s health system.  However, health technology is often excluded due to misleading messaging by manufacturer lobby groups claiming to be protecting patient safety.  This is despite a 2018 US FDA Report that analysed over 2,000,000 reported medical equipment events and found no risk to patient safety and in fact said the sustainability of the health system requires non-manufacturer service.  The Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society represents the Biomedical Engineering experts in Canada - they have a published position supporting health technology Right to Repair to ensure timeliness of patient care and safety. 

Bio: Michael Sideroff, CD, is a Senior Biomedical Engineering Technologist Team Leader for Eastern Canada with the Canadian Armed Forces, CF Health Services Centre. Previously posted to Health Services Headquarters in Ottawa, he has experience supporting medical device procurement through both local purchases and larger equipment contracts. His work focuses on maintaining, supporting, and sustaining medical technologies in operational health services environments. 

Abstract: Access to repair is essential for maintaining medical devices in health services settings, particularly where reliability, readiness, and continuity of care are critical. Drawing on his experience as a Biomedical Engineering Technologist with the Canadian Armed Forces, Michael Sideroff will discuss how repair considerations arise in medical device procurement and contracting. His presentation will explore why repair rights matter, what complications emerge when repair access is unavailable, and how government contracting procedures can create both challenges and opportunities when seeking repairable, maintainable equipment. 

Bio: Alan Spurway is a clinical engineer with Nova Scotia Health and is a member of the CMBES Right to Repair Working group looking to support the R2R medical devices in Canadian Healthcare.

Abstract: As medical devices become smarter and more interconnected their security risks increase, and they become increased targets for bad actors. Due to the regulated nature of their approval and sale, Medical Devices are not necessarily able to comply with traditional IT networking and security processes.

Manufacturers must consider the lifetime support of a medical device, including software updates and patches. Healthcare organizations are not prohibited from making changes to devices to provide ongoing IT system functionality or cybersecurity. Any alterations should be done in adherence to a documented risk management process. Without information or with the presence of digital locks, we are unable to knowledgeably assess device risks. Right to repair is a cornerstone of medical device support that ensures the safety of the Canadian public.