Hospitals, surgical centers and other healthcare facilities which use different types of medical devices need to adhere to several safety standards, not only in terms of maintaining equipment’s efficiency but also having a back-up plan to ensure patient care does not get adversely affected.
- Every healthcare professional should be provided comprehensive training on how medical devices
- All instructions regarding the use of devices should be kept close by.
- Healthcare professionals should be knowledgeable, skilled and confident enough to understand situations and respond to device alarms.
- Having a proper back-up plan is necessary.
- Hospitals should have the list of emergency numbers available.
- Training is a consistent process.
- Hospitals need to hire a quality-driven, reliable and well-known medical equipment maintenance and service support to ensure patient and staff safety is never compromised and equipment lifecycle remains efficient.
Medical Equipment Safety – Key Considerations, Among Many
Medical equipment classification
Classifying equipment into different types is essential so as to allow an engineering team to manage the entire inventory effectively. There are diagnostic equipment, therapeutic equipment, surgical instrument, etc. Each type has its own unique ways associated with safety, maintenance, general instructions, etc. At the same time, it is necessary to establish basic equipment safety guidelines to ensure efficiency remains intact all times.
Alarm management
Critical medical equipment should have alarms integrated with them. Such quick responses can help to avoid complications and elevate patient safety. Sometimes, it happens that the sound of alarms goes off and healthcare professionals may start ignoring at it. Such critical warning signs should not be overlooked. One way to overcome the same is to prioritize alarms and also assign codes so that response times could be optimized.
Infections
Healthcare professionals know how to properly sterilize equipment, and follow stringent disinfection practices to make sure every equipment is used as efficiently and safely as possible. Patient safety is the topmost priority for hospitals. Appropriate disinfection plans should be devised depending on the type of equipments and their usage.
Radiation exposure
Radiation from equipment could be dangerous. They pose greater risks. Such situations should be dealt with the proper channels in order to maintain a safe environment for the medical staff as well as patients. Staff members who are in charge of radiation machines should carry out personnel monitoring and also secure certificates.
Surgical fires
There should be a provision to deal with such accidents which may cause catastrophic injuries. Anesthesiologists should be educated about operating room fires. Regular drills should be carried out. There are comprehensive guidelines, steps, instructions and safety standards designed for every medical equipments. The hospitals should have all the details with them.
All these collective efforts ensure that medical devices remain safe for all.
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