Biomedical Engineering

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1 Risk-Adjusted Equipment Management
- 1.1 Risk Considerations
2 Service Contract Management
3 On Call/"Off Hours" Engineering Services

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Risk-Adjusted Equipment Management

Biomedical equipment failure or malfunction poses risks to patients. By adjusting standard biomedical practices of inspection, maintenance & repair to match the risk of equipment malfunction or failure, the Biomed department can align finite resources optimally. Ideally, the biomedical technician should replace a fatigued part an hour before it breaks; but not spend countless hours on inspections that have no real value to the care of the patient.

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Risk Considerations

How likely is the equipment to fail (MTTF)?
What failures are likely?
What is the impact of the likely failures on the patient or procedure?
How readily can the clinician secure a replacement?

By risk-adjusting the PM/Inspection work, the Biomed department can focus resources on the most critical patient care equipment as opposed hours checking otoscopes/ophthalmoscopes located in clinics and exam rooms. Additionally, by building a database of failure incidents and categorizing them, the Biomedical Engineering department can also identify user errors and develop targeted training programs.

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Service Contract Management

Managing service contracts is constant balancing act. A comprehensive program includes a coordinated schedule of contract terms and warranty expirations; a cost/benefit analysis of various contract models; the needs of the users; and reporting requirements for the third-party service providers.