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Nurses are prime users of medical devices in patient care and must be aware of four safety issues: safety of the patient, the information, the personnel, and the device. Thus, nurses need to be able to understand and communicate in the language of technological devices. With formal coursework in the use of instruments being limited, agency in-service programs taught by biomedical technicians or manufacturers' representatives have become primary sources of information. As nursing care increasingly takes place in home settings, nurses have become both primary users of devices and primary teachers of patient users. Lack of formal education and experience regarding safe use of medical devices has led to development of the Abbey-Shepherd Device Education Model. The model is designed to be additive, be applicable to all medical devices, permit incorporation into ongoing curricula, allow for constant updating, and be based upon scientific principles. The model covers characteristics of each device, operating principles, common use errors, adverse patient reactions, device failures and their frequency, safety concerns, device function and safe use, and care of instrument. (19 references) (JDD)