Spotting the difference between a repair or a replacement on clinical equipment can save you tons of money, and making the wrong choice can cost you.
Moreover, the quality of care you’re offering will degrade alongside your clinical equipment.
Don’t risk your patient’s well-being and make sure your equipment is up to standard.
But how do you know it’s time to replace your clinical equipment?
1. Performance and Reliability
Table of Contents
Your equipment’s performance and reliability will indicate to you if a replacement is necessary. Gauging the machine’s performance and reliability will fall onto whoever uses it because they will have an understanding of its proper baseline function and any deviation from that.
Diligent documentation is key here because you need as much data as possible in order to make an informed decision, which means everyone on staff needs to agree to implement that protocol.
2. Your Clinical Equipment’s Service History
Similar to the performance and reliability, your equipment’s service history will indicate to you if a replacement is necessary.
If your machine has needed service on the same faulty part several times to no avail, you may need a replacement, and your service history will verify that.
Diligent documentation of the service history plus the performance and reliability will increase the chances of making an informed decision regarding replacement or repair.
3. Overall Condition
Common sense dictates that the more use a machine receives, the quicker it will deteriorate. Taking into account the performance, reliability and the service history will help evaluate your clinic equipment’s overall condition.
4. Critical Risk Associated
Critical risks associated with suboptimal clinical equipment can be as mundane as slower results or as harmful as misdiagnosis and even death. The harmful side effects associated are not limited to patients but clinicians, doctors, and techs.
Risky equipment creates an environment where more harm than good can flourish and can affect the level of care you’re able to provide.
5. Impact on Productivity and/or Quality
The most important factor is providing quality care to your patients via your equipment. If one of your machines is starting to affect your ability to properly care for your patients in a timely manner, it is probably time to purchase a new piece of equipment.
To help offset the cost of procuring new machines, used hospital equipment is a great option. While it is new to you, these machines are in perfect working order and refurbished for any clinic or hospital setting for a much lower price tag than a brand new one.
Otherwise, you’ll feel the impact on your patient retention rates.
Time to Buy New (To Me) Clinical Equipment
You’ve assessed all aspects of your clinical equipment and evaluated all the data at your disposal. You’ve decided the best option given your clients’ and employees’ safety is to buy new equipment.
So long as you keep in mind these top 5 alarming signs, your new used hospital equipment will stay working for you and your patients. Feel free to keep browsing for our latest reads.
