chapter 2: equipment maintenance programme

Question 1

What does a comprehensive equipment management include?

Answer 1

1. control and monitor equipment performance
2. maintain maintenance cost
   3.new equipment acquisition and replacement decisions
3. quality assurance
4. training programs for equipment users
5. development of new services
6. risk management

Question 2

Why are there strict policies and procedures when it comes to equipment acquisition in hospital?

Answer 2

Prevent conflict of interests, source for the most reasonable deal and to be precise in specifications

Question 3

What is included in equipment acquisition

Answer 3

Justification, selection, implementation and conclusion

Question 4

What to look out for when replacing an existing equipment in justification process?

Answer 4

1. cost effectiveness: Acquistion of new equipment can save cost of acquisition in 3-5 years
2. Safety: exisiting equipment can no longer operate within accepted standards.
3. Maintenance cost at 50% of replacement costs
4. Reasonable period within 7 years guidelines

Question 5

What to consider when a new technology is being introduced in equipment acquisition?

Answer 5

1. Access technology like does it provide a needed service and will it be accepted?
2. are there clinical professionals capable in utilizing technology
3. operating and maintenance costs
4. special installation needed?

Question 6

Should there be standardisation of equipment? state the pros

Answer 6

• technical staff are more familiar with equipment,
• easier to obtain parts,

-less expensive to keep in inventory

-equipment movement

Question 7

Should there be standardisation of equipment? state the cons

Answer 7

• theres a limited number of vendors
• users have little say in selection process

-delay the introduction of nee equipement

Question 8

state the implementation process

Answer 8

1. Purchase order
2. installation
3. acceptance testing
4. training
5. follow up

Question 9

Objectives of an equipement control program

Answer 9

• appropriate and adequate
• properly maintaned
• planned replacement schedule

-monitored for liability risks

• tracked for cost of repairs and maintenance

-staff adequately trained

Question 10

What are the components of a equipment control program?

Answer 10

• inventory control

-hazard awareness

-quality assurance

-cost effectiveness

Question 11

objective of equipment hazard awareness

Answer 11

1. minimise risks to patients and staff
2. reduce liability risk to hospital

Question 12

what does quality assurance do?

Answer 12

improve quality of healthcare on patient safety, risk management, evidence based practice, continuous learning and improvement

Question 13

what is preventive maintenance?

Answer 13

It is based on a schedule or timetable. It is evaluated for its function, physical risk and maintenance requirement, the code assigned determines the maintenance interval

Question 14

What is corrective maintenance?

Answer 14

It restores a piece of equipment to operational status after an equipment failure or breakdown

Question 15

What is predictive maintenance?

Answer 15

It provides a mean to achieve reliability levels that exceed performance of a piece of equipment, used to confirm possible faults of the equipment and specific repairs even before the failure occurs, usually used for equipment that may comprimise its performance or safety to critical care areas.

Question 16

Problems affecting an effective PdM strategy

Answer 16

 For accurate prediction, advanced technologies are required to monitor
every aspect of the equipment.
 Repaired equipment ≠ ‘as good as new’ condition.
 Variability in the skills of maintenance personnel.
 Location and ease of accessibility of defect sites.
 Complexity of the equipment.
 Age of the equipment.
 Quality of replacement parts.

Question 17

Problems affecting an effective PM strategy

Answer 17

 Equipment unavailable: especially when used for daily monitoring or in
critical care areas.
 Equipment cannot be located: may be in transit between clinical
departments.
 If the PM procedure is too detailed, resources can be wasted.
 If the PM procedure is too superficial, maintenance may be inadequate.