AAMI’s peer-reviewed journal, BI&T (Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology), and its twice-yearly supplement, Horizons, were selected to receive gold awards in a national competition for healthcare publications. These awards, sponsored by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE), recognize "editorial excellence and achievement in the field of healthcare publishing."

AAMI publications have a rich history of recognition and honors, garnering 13 ASHPE awards in the past four years alone. This year’s honors bring that number to 15.

BI&T, AAMI’s bimonthly flagship publication, seeks to cover the trends, technical advances, challenges, solutions, industry developments, research, and people in the world of healthcare technology. The cover story for the January/February 2017 issue, “The Danger Within: Confronting the Challenge of Healthcare-Associated Infections,” received ASHPE’s gold award for Best Single News Article. This article, written by AAMI’s Director of Communications Amber Logan, examined the growing problem of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and what hospitals and medical device manufacturers are doing about it. The article also notes the role that AAMI sterilization and reprocessing standards play in helping to keep patients safe.
“Consensus documents, such as AAMI standards, represent current best practice in the industry and as such should be foundational documentation for healthcare facilities to base their policies, procedures, and work instruction,” said Richard Schule, director of clinical education for STERIS Corporation, in this story. “Standards provide the starting point for HAI prevention.”

The fall 2017 issue of Horizons also received a gold award for Best Special Supplement. This issue, edited by Senior Editor Gavin Stern, took a comprehensive and timely look at cybersecurity in healthcare. Through interviews, research papers, case studies, and commentaries, the fall issue of Horizons provided tools and best practices for health technology’s “cyber defenders” to help them better protect sensitive data and ensure that the technology works as intended—for the benefit of patients.

Sean Loughlin, AAMI’s vice president of communications and marketing, said the awards help to affirm the role of AAMI’s publications in serving its members and partners.

“We listen to our members and other stakeholders to determine the topics we should tackle in our editorial coverage and the kind of information they need to make that content relevant. It’s encouraging to see that members of the healthcare community at large see value in the articles and publications we produce,” Loughlin said.

Loughlin applauded the work of staff editors and AAMI volunteers.

“Our publications would not survive, much less thrive, without the work of our incredible volunteers who contribute articles, serve as sources, and review submissions,” Loughlin said. “And our staff members are committed to delivering the best possible editorial content in each and every issue they produce. It’s a winning team effort.”

AAMI is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967. It is a diverse community of approximately 7,000 healthcare technology professionals united by one important mission—supporting the healthcare community in the development, management, and use of safe and effective healthcare technology.

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