Medical equipment classification according to corrective maintenance data: a strategy based on the equipment age

Abstract

Introduction: Decision-making on medical equipment management is a daily task for clinical engineers, but it may prove difficult to easily extract relevant information from the large amount of data from computerized maintenance management systems. This article describes a simple method of medical equipment classification based on corrective maintenance indicators. Methods: Three indicators were calculated based on the number of events, duration and cost of corrective maintenance. Three classes were defined according to the indicator values of different equipment ages: class A for 0-4 years, class B for 5-9 years, and class C for equipment older than 10 years. The method was applied to 2,134 pieces of equipment from the Health Service system of the University of Campinas. Results: From the total, 51.7% of the equipment were classified as C, 4.2% as B and 44.1% as A. The infusion pump for general use was the type of equipment of which most units were in the C class (84.7%), even though almost 50% of them were acquired within less than 9 years, and would thus be expected to be classified as A and B. Among the pumps in class C, 39.5% were from a single manufacturer, although the equipments were acquired recently. Conclusion: The developed classification may be an important tool for raising alerts about equipment more prone to maintenance problems, as well as for identification of equipments with acceptable maintenance history, supporting decision-making on equipment replacement.

The Use of Business Intelligence Software to Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Evaluation of a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)

“…The initial phase involved examining the processes of the clinical engineering structure, along with conducting a literature search [12,[26][27][28][29] to identify the classes of key performance indicators.…”

“…The second step involved outlining the structure of the KPIs. It is crucial that a KPI is defined clearly and unambiguously to ensure it is comprehensive and leaves no room for misinterpretation [29,30]. The requirements for defining a KPI to be at least comprehensive are as follows:…”

Aplicación del algoritmo de K-NN en la asignación de órdenes de trabajo de mantenimiento correctivo para equipos biomédicos

“…Un factor importante para un indicador de disponibilidad óptimo es la eficiencia de las acciones de mantenimiento correctivo, en el cual están directamente relacionados el personal del departamento de ingeniería biomédica de la institución o las empresas que prestan el servicio de mantenimiento. Es aquí donde el sistema de gestión permite el seguimiento y control del tiempo utilizado en mantenimiento con el objetivo de realizar acciones y mejorar así la disponibilidad de los equipos biomédicos [7]. Adicionalmente, con la eficiencia del mantenimiento, se reduce el impacto de los equipos biomédicos en el ambiente, evita riesgos a trabajadores, y disminuye costos en la producción de residuos y emisiones a la atmósfera [8].…”

Assessment of medical equipment maintenance management: proposed checklist using Iranian experience

“…Today's modern hospital is highly dependent on various types of medical equipment to assist in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of patients. It is impractical to provide health services without them [1,2]. Medical equipment deals with patient care including ranging from small and simple devices to complex and big devices.…”