Workshop on Maintenance and Repair of Hospital equipment

Program overview:

The primary responsibility for the care and maintenance of equipment rests with the user. Users should understand how their equipment works, what its limitations are, and what it can and cannot do. In situations where surgeons or clinicians work under extreme time pressure, they may not be able to pay sufficient attention to the care and maintenance of the equipment they use. In this case, Hospital technicians can be trained in basic preventative maintenance and care. However, surgeons and clinicians must still be trained to use equipment properly and safely; they are also responsible for reporting faults and should be included in discussions about hospital equipment maintenance and repair.

In order to ensure that equipment functions well, both equipment users and the equipment maintenance and repair team must be trained. Users must be trained in basic care and maintenance of equipment, and the equipment team must be trained to undertake repairs and more complex maintenance tasks.

For whom:

This program is design for surgeons and clinicians, nurses, and hospital administrative staff.  Hospital technicians, equipment users and the equipment maintenance and repair team will benefit immensely from this program. Staffs in procurement department will benefit from this program as well.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• communicate effectively with clinical personnel on medical equipment and safety issues;
• train users to operate and care for equipment properly;
• perform repairs in a cost-effective and timely fashion;
• establish a safe environment for patients and staff;
• take part in decision making about medical equipment management, planning, and procurement;
• apply safety procedures in carrying out maintenance activities; and
• establish maintenance management culture for cost effectiveness in hospitals management.

Course outline:

Day 1: Right hospital equipment: Overview

• Must have, can have, Nice to have, want to have
• Types of hospital equipment
• Uses and Care
• Stakeholder management for equipment longevity – users, cleaners and keepers

Day 2:  Equipment handling skills using the manufacturer’s guide or user manual for details:

• Basic do’s and don’ts when handling equipment
• How to operate equipment
• Basic anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology
• Cleaning of equipment
  • Clean outer as well as inner surfaces and lubricated parts.
• Check for damage, lose or missing screws, and corrosion.
• Change filters and renewable parts.
• Lubricate movable parts.

Day 3: Preventative maintenance and repair for maintainers

• Teaching preventative maintenance to users
• Maintenance management strategies
• Preventive maintenance
• Corrective maintenance
• Predictive maintenance
• Breakdown maintenance

Day 4: Financial principles for equipment investment

(GAP analysis)

• Purchase versus Leasing
• Total cost of ownership – buying and keeping
• Procurement procedures
• Vendor selection – local versus international
• Small print and big problems – guarantees
• Management of stocks and stores
• Establishing and running an equipment workshop

Day 5: Managing, motivating and retaining skilled staff

• Create multidisciplinary teams so that staffs are not overstretched.
• Use suitable reporting and feedback methods so that staffs know what is going on.
• Evaluate staff performance so that career development goals can be set.
• Help staff to develop their skills.
• Put in place suitable employment conditions such as a salary, holiday and sickness leave, and overtime entitlements.
• Ensure suitable working conditions, such as supportive supervision and suitable tools.
• Managing health and safety procedure: Working in a health facility environment.

Training Methodology

Lectures, discussions, exercises, and case studies will be used to reinforce these teaching/learning methods.