If you work in a healthcare facility of any kind – hospital, community health center / FQHC, skilled nursing facility, or medical/surgical center – you need to get a biomed inspection.
So, what does a biomed inspection entail? All of your healthcare technology that is essential for diagnosis and treatment of patients will be checked for proper function and patient safety. There are a few ways that biomedical engineers check medical equipment, including a physical inspection of equipment internally and externally, an electrical safety test, functional inspections, and power tests.
Here are a few reasons why you need a biomed inspection:
- To discover any problems before they compromise the safety of the patient or staff
- To meet all standards set by governing agencies for accreditation
- To save costs and time incurred by sudden equipment failure with regular checks to ensure proper performance
- To prevent legal liability
Equipment problems aren’t always evident to the average person. Sure, you can probably tell if something has gone through some wear and tear, but do you know how it’s affecting the performance?
Biomedical engineers are trained experts that know all the details about leakage current, ground, and much more. A biomed inspection isn’t just a onetime thing. While some equipment needs servicing every few years, for others it’s just a matter of months.
Other times a lack of training for staff can become a problem. Nurses and doctors even bring equipment into an operating room or other unsuitable environment without even realizing the hazard!
Healthcare equipment safety is all about protecting your patients, staff, and facility while maintaining good standing with all government regulations and related legal contingencies. As true as ever, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.