A maintenance model for clinical engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Healthcare Management
• Operations Research

Background:

• Effective equipment maintenance is crucial for hospital operations and patient safety.
• Existing maintenance models often lack specific, data-driven benchmarks for resource allocation.
• University hospitals, particularly those in the 250-400 bed range, require tailored maintenance strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a quantitative equipment maintenance model based on practical experience and soft data.
• To provide benchmarks for technician workload, productivity, and resource needs in hospital settings.
• To guide the optimization of in-house maintenance departments and their integration with external services.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of model parameters from a combination of soft data and experienced-based intuition.
• Focus on device numbers rather than hospital bed count for workload calculations.
• Analysis of key performance indicators including technician productivity, maintenance costs, and resource allocation.

Main Results:

• Ideal technician workload: 400-550 devices.
• Average technician hands-on time: 75%.
• Recommended resources: 250 sq ft/technician, $20,000 capital equipment/technician, $15-$25 supplies/device.
• Staffing ratios: 1 engineer per 3 technicians; 1 clerical FTE per 3 technicians.
• Annual maintenance estimate: 2.5 hours/device (3 for clinical, 2 for non-clinical).

Conclusions:

• The model provides actionable benchmarks for optimizing hospital equipment maintenance.
• In-house maintenance costs should be managed effectively, considering cost-effective external options.
• Continuous data sharing and refinement by clinical engineers and BMETs are encouraged to improve the model.