Hospital equipment management, maintenance and quality control in the Netherlands

Before 1970, equipment maintenance and quality control in Dutch hospitals were not organised. There was little or no cooperation between physicians, hospital employees and instrument suppliers. Health services which are not nationalised are funded by non-profit making foundations. There were few regulations covering the supply and maintenance of equipment. However, the country is small enough for there to be considerable contact between instrument engineers. In the past eight years a new situation has arisen where rules are being formulated based on collective experiences. A better understanding has to grow between physicians, nurses and engineers, of each others' needs and possibilities in relation to the use of instruments and the necessity of maintenance. To keep quality on an acceptable level, exaggeration in one direction or another has to be avoided.