In-house servicing of microprocessor-based and digital patient care equipment

Servicing of microprocessor-based and digital patient care instrumentation presents a special challenge to the in-house clinical engineering program. The complexity of this instrumentation, the cost of test equipment and support materials, and continuing education needs are pressing concerns. Servicing methods available to clinical engineering include the use of manufacturer diagnostics and board or subassembly swapping. Test equipment, such as digital oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, signature analyzers, and logic probes, can also be used during repair, even to the component level. In some instances, clinical engineering may choose alternative service arrangements, such as fee-for-service, service contracts, or maintenance insurance. Clinical engineering must objectively evaluate its resources and the level of technical expertise within the department; a realistic maintenance program for microprocessor-based and digital patient care equipment can thus be developed and can result in significant cost savings.