In this article we’re going to run through our top six reasons as to why maintaining your healthcare equipment is important!
Patient Care & Safety
The care you provide to your patients can largely be affected by the functionality, operation and efficiency of the equipment in use. If your medical devices prove faulty or are unable to perform the desired outcome then it can be fair to say that your patients aren’t going to receive the best possible treatment available to them. Equipment that has failed to be maintained and tested regularly can give misleading information, diagnosis and readings, thus an ineffective treatment plan could be prescribed. It may also result in injury or harm to your patients, staff and anyone else involved with using the faulty equipment.
Regular serviced equipment can give your staff increased confidence in the equipment which will undoubtedly transfer through to their patients, creating a safe and comfortable environment for all. In addition to elevating the care to patients, properly maintained equipment with an effective ongoing service program increases staff and patient safety. The ability to identify potential issues before they occur prevents the devices from failing, breaking down or causing an injury.
Save Money
You’ve probably heard it before but, maintaining your healthcare equipment proactively is cheaper than having to constantly replace it with new equipment. Having to replace large pieces of capital equipment or make emergency costly repairs is usually going to generate more expense than simply having a regular maintenance program in place.
So, while it may seem like money and time is going down the drain to implement a regular service program (when there seems to be nothing wrong), it’s actually the most important time to have it checked. It’s insurance for your equipment and facility, as you don’t want to avoid spending money until the equipment is no longer working, and when the costs are no doubt going to be higher.
Ensure Compliance
The medical equipment in your facility should comply with the guidelines surrounding that piece of equipment and set by the government. There are organisations that ensure compliance with federal regulatory standards for hospitals.
Regulations can vary from state to state however most require the facility to maintain a complete inventory list of their equipment, to own and follow the manufacturers maintenance guidelines and identify the critical or higher-risk devices in the inventory list. Keeping up with regulations can sometimes be overwhelming and time consuming; however, having the right team in place to adhere to the guidelines and keep a record of planned maintenance can give everyone the confidence that the facility and its equipment is compliant in the event of an inspection.
Identify Risks
Well-maintained equipment helps to mitigate risk and identify potential risks long before they become problematic, which reinforces the safest possible healthcare experience for your patients. Early identification can reduce a lot of issues that could occur as a result of a patient or staff injury from faulty equipment such as reducing costs, legal actions and reputations.
It is a duty of care to uphold the working order of your equipment and something that should never be disregarded, performing onset testing and servicing is key to minimising these types of unnecessary costs to your facility.
Efficient Operation
Some medical devices failure might not lead to safety issues however a lower level of performance, which can sometimes make your job harder due to inefficiencies. Having a plan in place can keep you in the know and prepared in the case that the piece of equipment can no longer be used and needs to be repaired over a period of time. You can then have a backup plan so there is no need to compromise on patient care and you have also saved yourself quite a bit of hassle.
Professionalism
While this is probably the lesser benefit of the six it certainly should always be something to keep in mind. If your equipment is constantly breaking down or malfunctioning due to not making maintenance a priority, you may come across as unprofessional to the patients as a result of the inefficiencies and substandard care.
This could damage your reputation whether you are a small or larger facility, you can avoid this by installing regular maintenance checks.
If you’re interested in seeing what maintenance might look like for your medical equipment we encourage you to read the article What does medical equipment maintenance look like?
What servicing does Select offer?
We have partnered with like-minded service technicians that understand how our equipment works and can successfully service and maintain our product ranges. Being located here in Queensland also gives our Team the quickest and possible turn around times for maintenance so your vital equipment has the lowest downtime possible.
You can always give your Select sales representative a call or email us directly to receive a prompt response and quick solutions to any problems should a breakdown occur.
