Hospital Tips for maintaining medical equipment

If you are a medical entrepreneur, you will agree that after the site and the infrastructure development, the biggest financial decision that you have to think and rethink is the investment in medical equipment.  This is because medical equipment forms the backbone of your diagnosis and treatment. There can be no compromise on the quality of the medical equipment because it can have a direct repercussion on your patients’ well-being.  Even a tiny breakdown can bring about a big disruption in your services and lead to a reduction in patient satisfaction.

Investment in medical equipment has to be made thoughtfully because the decision should be based on several factors such as

• Practicality
• Size of your set-up
• Your speciality
• Degree of innovation
• Budget
• Durability
• Resistance to obsolesce.
• Manufacturer’s reputation
• Guarantee and warrantees
• Terms of sale.
• Maintenance promise by vendor.

Before you make a final decision, you should employ specialists to carry out a feasibility report so that you can get the latest equipment at the most reasonable price and on the best possible terms. Even after buying this asset, you should take care to ensure that you get long-term service out of it. These tips can help you in this endeavour:

• Ensure Proper Usage : Use your medical equipment only as per instructions. Read the instruction manual and be sure to train your workforce on the usage directions. Ask the vendor to arrange elaborate demonstration and training of your staff. Use signages and boards to indicate the right instructions of usage.

• Ensure Regular inspection : Be sure to arrange for regular inspection and maintenance by experts. Set reminders for equipment maintenance and try to strictly adhere to these timelines.
• Keep an eye on Warranties : Be sure to buy from a manufacturer or a vendor who will give a long-term warranty because in spite of all the care and maintenance taken, something is bound to go wrong after long-term use. A warranty can help you get some benefits.
• Establish a cleaning routine:  In a hospital, disinfection is mandatory as it prevents the spread of infection. Schedule a proper cleaning and disinfection procedure to ensure the longevity of your medical equipment.

•  Arrange for spares : This point is valid for smaller and less expensive tools. Try to keep some spare tools in your inventory to avoid time lapse due to situations like unavailability or discontinuity.
• Involve your workforce : Be sure to train your staff in the proper usage of your medical equipment. If this training is not imparted, it may be misused leading to inaccurate results and heavy losses. Design SOPs and keep control checks in place to see that there is no lapse in protocol.  Make your staff responsible for the maintenance of medical equipment. Provide them with a list of reliable vendors for specialized maintenance facilities. Explain the benefits of immediate and dedicated logging and recording of data after each usage.

• Invest time in equipment lifecycle management : Mapping out your equipment’s lifecycle can help you streamline its maintenance processes, and make decisions about repair, refurbishment or disposal in a timely manner.
• Carry out quality audits : Just as periodic performance appraisals are carried out to test the employees’ performance, quality audits are carried out to test the performance of medical equipment. Be sure to carry out such audits periodically to ensure quality and safety.

If proper care is not taken in the maintenance of medical equipment, it can lead to devastating effects like

• Health hazards for physicians as well as patients,
• Breakdown of equipment
• Interruption of workflow
• Unnecessary delays in diagnosis and treatment
• Reduced patient satisfaction
• Decline in quality healthcare

To summarize, the one important thing on which your hospital’s diagnosis, treatment and reputation all rely is your medical equipment and hence maintaining it well should be your top priority.

Hospertz healthcare consultancy is an expert in the field of healthcare equipment consultancy and can guide you, call us today.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav

hospertz@gmail.com

+91 9820833149 / 9867712705