Complexity ranking can be used as a measure of the degree of difficulty in understanding, operating, and managing systems. Categorization of systems according to their level of complexity provides guidance for system management, optimization, and cost reduction. With the fundamental role of clinical engineers in medical equipment selection, equipment performance programs, education programs, and risk analysis, development of a medical device complexity model provides a useful tool for managing medical technology.

From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station.

Corresponding author: William A. Hyman, PE, ScD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3120. w-hyman@tamu.edu.

Nataly F. Youssef, BE, is a BE degree in mechanical engineering from the Lebanese American University. Her research interests include risk management of medical devices and reliability assessment. She is currently a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

William A. Hyman, PE, ScD, is a professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. His primary area of professional activity is in medical device design, system safety, and human factors. He is the secretary of the ACCE Healthcare Technology Foundation and an editor of the Journal of Clinical Engineering.