Proper Maintenance and Care For Medical Equipment Part One

Medical equipment is costly and often requires a great deal of budgeting to purchase.  Even if the facility is able to find refurbished medical equipment it should be assumed that it will be rather pricey.  Gently used medical equipment that has gone through stringent refurbishing is one way that facilities can help cut costs.  It is important to remember that proper maintenance and regular care of refurbished medical equipment is as important if not more important than that of brand new equipment for medical use.

Proper maintenance and care is crucial for equipment that is used in the treatment of patients.  Daily use wears equipment down quickly.  In order to achieve the best results for patient care equipment must be kept functioning properly.  If equipment is not maintained facilities run the risk of constant malfunctions and breakdowns leading to a decrease in customer care which makes the practice seem unreliable.  Here are some valuable maintenance and care tips to help get your facility on the right track.

Appropriate Management

The way that facilities care and use medical equipment daily will predict how long the machine will last.  Improper use of sensitive medical equipment on regular basis will set the machine up for malfunction and failure.  Medical equipment should only be used as directed by the original manufacturer.  When medical equipment is used in a way that is not recommended there is a greater risk of harm to the patient as well as to the equipment operator.

Follow Manufacturer Procedures

When medical equipment is purchased, whether it is new or refurbished it is crucial that the manufacturer’s instructions on proper use and maintenance are included.   The manual will show a plan for regular diagnostics, updates to software and will advise facilities on hiring professional technicians to inspect and care for the equipment. It is important that the manufacturer’s guideline is followed. This will ensure that machine failure and snafus are kept to a minimum.

In the next installment on maintenance and care of medical equipment we will discuss contracting medical technicians, in house maintenance and warranties.  It is important to protect your investment.  Medical equipment is expensive and not easily replaced.  With the main objective of medical facilities being reliable, affordable patient care it is crucial that each piece of medical equipment is kept up to date, running as expected, providing proper diagnostics and keeping patient care at the highest level possible.

Radparts is the world’s largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for Linear Accelerators and Radiation Oncology equipment.  We provide high quality, user friendly, low cost parts support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment.  For more information on low cost parts for repairing Linac equipment find us at http://www.radparts.com.

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