Failure mode identification and effects analysis of mobile X-ray machine using selected MADM techniques

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Engineering and Device Reliability
• Risk Management in Medical Technology
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare Services

Background:

• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is crucial for enhancing reliability and safety in healthcare services and products.
• Mobile X-ray devices are increasingly adopted, presenting unique mobility-related failure challenges.
• The traditional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in FMEA has limitations, as it equally weights Severity, Occurrence, and Detection, potentially misrepresenting actual risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the limitations of the conventional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
• To develop and validate a modified FMEA model integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS).
• To improve the accuracy and effectiveness of risk assessment and ranking for failure modes in mobile X-ray machines.

Main Methods:

• A modified FMEA approach was developed, integrating AHP for generating weights of risk factors (Severity, Occurrence, Detection).
• Scores for failure modes concerning risk factors were obtained using the conventional RPN approach.
• The integrated AHP-TOPSIS-FMEA methodology was applied to identify and rank drive-related failures in a mobile X-ray machine, followed by comparative and sensitivity analyses.

Main Results:

• The modified FMEA model, incorporating AHP and TOPSIS, demonstrated improved accuracy in ranking failure modes compared to the traditional RPN method.
• The study provided a practical example of applying the enhanced FMEA to mobile X-ray machine drive failures.
• Comparative analysis confirmed the benefits of the new method over previous multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) approaches.

Conclusions:

• The integrated AHP-TOPSIS-FMEA methodology offers a more robust and accurate approach to risk assessment for mobile X-ray machine failures.
• This enhanced FMEA model provides a superior alternative to the conventional RPN, better reflecting the true risk profiles of failure modes.
• The findings support the adoption of this advanced FMEA technique for improving the reliability and safety of critical healthcare equipment.