Accreditation 2023 - Worklife / Workforce

Preventative Maintenance By Jacob Dickerson and Michel Godbout

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Preventative maintenance (PM) is the process of performing regularly scheduled maintenance activities to help prevent unexpected failures. All medical equipment and devices at PRH are assigned to a preventive maintenance inspection strategy and schedule. PM inspections are interval-based, and their frequency is determined based on manufacturer recommendations and risk levels of the activity and equipment involved. Click here for the Q-Tip. 

But that's not all that Biomedical Engineering does - they are also involved in the folllowing: 

• Selection and acquisition of medical equipment: Biomedical Engineering actively participates in the selection and acquisition of equipment, including but not limited to, assistance with coordinating construction activities to prepare the site for the equipment, coordinating installation efforts, performing acceptance testing, and collaborating with Clinical Educators to provide training for clinical staff.
• Evaluation of equipment and PM: All equipment that directly supports patient care, or that is located within the patient care setting, regardless of ownership, is assessed. Medical equipment receives appropriate maintenance, with the ultimate goal of keeping equipment safe, reliable, and performing according to specifications while using resources efficiently
• Incoming inspections of medical equipment: All hospital owned equipment that directly supports patient care at PRH, or that is located within the patient care setting, regardless of acquisition method, is inspected prior to initial use. Equipment is inspected to assure physical condition, functionality, accuracy, patient/operator safety, electrical safety, and proper documentation.
• Repairs:  All repairs are prioritized and performed in a timely manner.
• Review and follow-up medical devices hazard alerts and product recalls: Biomedical Engineering works in coordination with Materials Management, Clinical Leads and the Administrative Executive Assistant to monitor hazard alerts and product recalls from manufacturers, vendors, Health Canada, HealthPro etc.    

What should staff do if they discover a medical device or medical equipment that is broken or not functioning properly?

1. Remove the device or equipment from circulation.  

2. Submit a work order through  found on Citrix.  

3. Label the device or equipment with the orange "Work Order Needs Repair" repair tag to communicate it is out of service. Ensure to document when the work order was submitted.  

* *When the medical device or medical equipment is repaired and back in service, the backside is updated to include the date of its repair and is placed back in circulation. 

Back side 

4. Contact Jacob, Biomedical Engineering for critically urgent medical device repair requests during daytime hours. 

To learn more, review the “Preventative Maintenance” policy found in the Policy and Procedure Manual on the intranet.