A Medical Equipment Replacement Score System

Abstract

In Brief What is the best way to prioritize the replacement of equipment in a health facility or system? Most experienced biomedical engineers have qualitative mental process, which addresses most of the pressing medical technology replacement needs and ensures future system development. Of course they also have learned to accept that user "pet" projects, the most recent failure events that users are aware of, and politics will drive many equipment replacement decisions. A rule base, which can quantify the critical factors that medical technology managers, users, and healthcare executive feel are necessary to make decisions, could be developed. A Medical Equipment Replacement Score system can be designed and easily programmed to access information from most computerized maintenance management systems and produce real-time equipment replacement prioritization results. What is the best way to prioritize the replacement of equipment in a health facility or system? Most experienced biomedical engineers have qualitative mental process, which addresses most of the pressing medical technology replacement needs and ensures future system development. Of course they also have learned to accept that user "pet" projects, the most recent failure events that users are aware of, and politics will drive many equipment replacement decisions. A rule base, which can quantify the critical factors that medical technology managers, users, and healthcare executive feel are necessary to make decisions, could be developed. A Medical Equipment Replacement Score system can be designed and easily programmed to access information from most computerized maintenance management systems and produce real-time equipment replacement prioritization results.