Meta description: Maintenance of medical equipment is very important; it reduces costs, improves safety, and gives medics peace of mind.
Preventive maintenance consists of regular checks on equipment in order to prevent it from failing in the future. It is especially valuable in the medical field. Engineers use preventive maintenance every day, and it is especially valuable in the medical field.
In this post, we explore some of the reasons why preventative maintenance is essential for medical equipment.
It Generates Significant Financial Savings
In fact, hospitals spend more than $200 billion on medical devices each year. Some hospitals are purchasing new medical equipment. But in most cases, they are simply replacing older items that they have. But most of the time, they are just buying new items.
Medical supplies usually last around seven to ten years when used as designed. With proper care, it can last for many years.
It is much more costly to replace medical equipment than to make repairs regularly. Choosing to regularly replace damaged equipment with refurbished ones can save medical practices a lot of money.
It Improves Safety
Medical devices need to perform to specification all the time; they are used to protect patients and staff. If it doesn’t, it could put patients and practitioners at risk.
In the medical world, equipment that is regularly serviced by qualified professionals is safer than equipment that is not serviced. If an issue occurs, engineers can find it quickly and fix it before it becomes a big problem.
Throughout history, doctors’ offices, clinics, and hospitals have had to respond to numerous medical equipment and device failures. Medtronic’s insulin pumps had to be recalled and Edwards Lifesciences monitors too, due to fluid leakages that occurred from power units. Those who regularly scheduled preventive maintenance were able to quickly identify these risks; others had to wait until the problem was solved before providing treatment.
It Boosts Operational Efficiency
There are many reasons why it would be advantageous to have regular preventive maintenance performed on medical equipment. Most doctors in the U.S. see from 20 to 30 patients per day, which is roughly 7,000 to 8,000 people per year. If the right equipment maintenance schedule is in place, doctors could see even more patients.
When equipment is properly maintained, doctors are able to access and use it more liberally. There is less setup time, fiddling about with buttons, or calibration. And they work right away, right “out of the box”, and they provide better service to patients than older devices.
When medical equipment doesn’t perform satisfactorily, it can actually lower productivity. Queues begin forming in waiting rooms, physicians can’t clear backlogs, and medics wind up working longer hours. Queues start to form in waiting rooms, doctors aren’t able to clear backlogs, and nurses work longer hours.
It is easy to schedule routine maintenance for your medical equipment. Companies like Preventive Maintenance Medical Inc. (PM Medical), sets you up on a preventive maintenance schedule that meets the manufacturer’s and industry requirements. If it’s necessary to contact your contractor after hours, they’re available to help you. They understand that in addition to routine maintenance, emergencies do happen and equipment may need to be serviced the same day.
It Reduces Frustration
Regular maintenance of equipment prevents frustration and keeps medical staff happy. Staff members are just like anyone else: they are human. They get frustrated when medical equipment doesn’t work properly. It is annoying to try to get a broken ultrasound machine to produce an image that can be used to diagnose a patient.
With regular maintenance, though, you eliminate these issues completely. It is as if equipment still works like it did the day it was originally purchased. For more information about how to prevent failures in your medical equipment, visit PM Medical’s website today!