Third Assessment
After the second phase, the staff felt that they had a better understanding of what was required, and they were provided with tools to monitor this task. Additional procedures were needed to define the way to close scheduled IPMs if they were not completed during the four-week interval. Monthly review meetings provided times to assess the services provided and to identify opportunities for improvement.
Phase 3 Action Plan
● Define procedure to close out an IPM at the end of the month. High-risk equipment had to be completed. Medium-risk equipment could be canceled if there were no equipment repairs within the past three months and the last scheduled IPM was completed, or if the equipment could not be located. ● Continue to use the program indicators and thresholds monitor performance on a weekly basis. ● Quick monthly meetings were held to review the IPM indicators for the past month, identify any trends or patterns, and review the IPM scheduled for the next month.
Table 54-1 Clinical engineering quality indicators.
Inspection and preventive maintenance Repair Type/number of devices scheduled for service Down time (up time) Type/number devices inspected Specific equipment failure Type/number of devices that failed an inspection Number of repairs Type/number: on-demand service Average time per repair Type/number found with physical damage Down time due to repairs Type/number of no problem found Repair turnaround time Type/number serviced more than once in 7 days Response time for repairs Type/number involved in incident Repeat repairs Type/number requiring abnormal labor or parts Repairs delayed due to parts orders Inspections failed Down time associated with No inspection-equipment not located or in use parts orders Users Mean time to repair User-related problems Miscellaneous complaints Percentage of user errors associated with high-risk devices Incident investigations Number of user errors Equipment recalls Number of repairs caused by user misuse or abuse Frequency of repairs by user errors Frequency of user errors on same shift or same unit
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Process Review
● This process took over a year to implement. When it was completed, there was a defined process to manage IPMs within the department, and all staff were trained as to its use. ● Workload was better distributed throughout the year. ● Standardized procedures were identified, defining what was to be done and how long it would take to perform. ● Workload data were identified proactively and distributed by staff for completion. ● Many opportunities for QI were identified based on defining the services provided and by reviewing the data collected, resulting in improved quality, productivity, and timeliness of service.