Management of Hospital Equipments
Equipment management in a hospital is the function of Biomedical Engineering department. Biomedical Engineer has become the equipment manager, helping health providers for the acquisition of technology, then ensuring its safe, continued efficient utilization through a well planned program of user training, maintenance and quality assurance, thus playing a vital role in the safe and effective implementation of health care technology. The goal of Biomedical Equipment Management Program is to provide safe, calibrated and operational equipment for delivery of the best health care possible. An effective program will reduce the inconvenience and financial loss caused by malfunctioning equipment and the time lost because of non-availability of equipment.

Our Biomedical Engineering department performs following functions to accomplish efficient equipment management.

• Management and performance of Breakdown Maintenance (Repair) biomedical equipments.
  
• Management and performance of Planned Preventive Maintenance of Biomedical equipments.
  
• Calibration, Performance verification and certifications of Biomedical equipments.
  
• Utility certification: During installation of sophisticated equipments, Biomedical Engineers assess the utility needs of equipments viz. tonnage of AC, electrical power, drainage system required and generate feasibility report.
  
• Planning & installation for all types of sophisticated Bio Medical Equipments.
  
• Creation of Computerized database: dynamic software for maintaining work-order, inventory of equipments, preventive maintenance schedule and technician time.
  
• Pre purchase evaluation & Negotiation in Procurement: Analysis of equipment characteristics in clinical environment ensures technical and clinical acceptability.
  
• Incoming inspection of equipments: Using specialized testing and calibration of equipments for electrical safety, proper calibration and operational verification.
  
• Planning and procurement of spare parts required for BM/PM/PPM.
  
• Management of maintenance contract: Analysis of equipment failure and assessment of repair cost, scheduling of repair/PM visits, documentation and monitoring of equipment uptime, review of maintenance contract in terms of quality and responsiveness of service provider to make decision on modification of service contract terms.
  
• Equipment condemnation  Process: Biomedical Engineers also determines the optimal lifespan of healthcare organization’s technology and its aging, out-model  and  inappropriately costly instrumentation is replaced in accordance with a rational equipment replacement policy. Integral with this plan is the Biomedical Engineer’s role in advising whether to shift to a newer, more innovative technology or to stay with the tried and true one.
  
• Equipment Risk Management: This is an area, which is developing at a rapid pace in western hospital. This tool allows the Biomedical Engineer to deploy the technical resources in a cost effective manner. In addition to the direct economic benefits, safety gets enhanced as the more problematic equipment is identified, tagged with a higher risk rating and scrutinized more frequently.
  
• Conducting training program for trainee engineers and Customers/User and also for students.
  
• Technical Documentation and Analysis.