Ask George

Abstract

In this column, BI&T features questions and answers between AAMI members and Joint Commission expert George Mills. Become part of the discussion and ask questions about those subjects that matter to you the most. You can submit your Joint Commission question at this link: www.aami.org/htmconnect/askgeorge.html. Or to join AAMI's Joint Commission e-forum, which is open to all AAMI members, visit www.aami.org/htmconnect/discussiongroups.html. Some of the questions and answers may have been edited for space, style, and clarity.Can you please address the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guideline 10.2.8.1.1 that says manufacturers shall include manuals and testing procedures for equipment?Your reference is for the 2002 and 2005 editions of NFPA 99. The Joint Commission uses the 1999 edition of NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code. The equivalent reference in NFPA 99-1999 is 9.2.1.8.1 manuals. With manufacturer's recommendations as one of three criteria in establishing frequencies of inspecting, testing, and maintaining devices (the others being hospital experience and risk levels), these resources are crucial. As good management, any acquisition of equipment should require the manuals and information set out in this section of code. For equipment where the service is under contract, the operating manuals must be available as described in this code section and the organization that will service the equipment must attest it has current and accurate manuals for the equipment. The Joint Commission may inquire regarding contract language in these instances (scored under the leadership chapter). I believe that this information is so important that I've asked AAMI to print the following code excerpt for all readers to have available when discussing this requirement at their organization:NFPA 99-1999, Section 9.2.1.8.1 Manuals. The manufacturer of appliances shall furnish operator, maintenance, and repair manuals with all units. These manuals shall include operating instructions, maintenance details, and testing procedures. The manuals shall include the following where applicable:Where appropriate, the information itemized shall be permitted to be supplied in the form of a separate operating manual and a separate maintenance manual, except that the maintenance manual shall also include essentially all the information included in the operating manual.Where is it stated by The Joint Commission that endoscopes are considered diagnostic equipment, therefore needing to be on the equipment inventory list?The Joint Commission Resources has published the Environment of Care Handbook, Second Edition and defined endoscopes as diagnostic equipment. Inclusion in the medical equipment inventory is voluntary. This was first asked of the clinical engineering community at an AAMI Annual Conference by me in an effort to solicit assistance in reducing adverse events related to the processing of scopes. The intention is to add another review of the cleaning and storing process.With the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) in many hospitals, EMR workstations are now located in patient care and critical care areas. Do these workstations require regular safety inspections even though they are not technically medical devices and do not come into contact with the patient? If so, how frequently should they be tested?This is totally up to the organization to manage—creating policies and determining appropriate service and frequencies.