A flexible information management system. Better information management means increased productivity

While the finite details and program listings have been purposely excluded, the system described in the preceding text provides the basis for a relatively inexpensive equipment management system. The Biomedical Engineering Department at Rochester General Hospital has utilized this system to increase productivity levels by nearly 15% since implementation in early 1990. With a seven-member technical staff this increase in productivity translated into the addition of approximately 2,100 man-hours in 1991, the equivalent of one extra person. The department was able to utilize these hours to expand into new areas of responsibility and reduce the average service cost per item by 58%. As previously indicated, the key to the system presented is flexibility. There is no hard and fast rule for this system, just a simple, common sense guideline: continuously review, revise, and develop the program. While adherence to this process provides a solid basis for any system whether computerized or manual, it is intended for use only as a "tool," not as a substitute for clinical engineering knowledge and instincts. The ease and speed with which studies are formulated facilitate the large-scale data dissection process so often associated with equipment management programs. Correspondingly, the ability to modify database structures and applications provides the means for expansion and refinement of the system on an ongoing basis.