By Jim Fedele
I am hopeful by the time you read this that the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided and we are somewhat back to normal. I am also predicting many editors will be discussing all the things right and wrong with the response, preparedness and plans. For me, living in a somewhat rural area, at the time of this writing we are in the planning stages. We are gathering, ordering and staging all items predicted to be needed when our area peaks. I am trying to write this article in between numerous requests and meetings. I am sure when the dust settles from this, all that we have learned will be invaluable. I am hopeful it shapes some needed changes in our industry.
Ventilators are making the news and being talked about everywhere. Do we have enough? How do they work? How can we make more faster and, importantly, repair them? Thankfully most vendors do offer schooling and we have our own techs in house to repair them. Otherwise, the OEM would never be able to keep up. Frankly, I think the ventilator manufacturers dodged a bullet by still partnering with biomeds for training. Imagine what the news media would have done if they found out the manufacturers wouldn’t train biomeds and they couldn’t meet the service needs.
But, there is equipment that is being compromised because outside field service reps either don’t want to come into the facility or aren’t permitted. This is causing some manufacturers to put off doing preventative maintenance (PM) and minor repairs. Is this putting our patients at risk? I guess it depends on when you ask this question. When life is normal, and the vendor wants to sell you a service contract the answer is a resounding yes. But now it doesn’t seem to be an issue. What is disappointing to me is I have the people that could do these PMs but because we can’t get training, or it is prohibitively expensive, we can’t do it. Also, many of the PM procedures in the service manuals we get (if they even give them to us) are very poorly written. I know we all deal with this daily.
I am hopeful that when the dust settles from this pandemic, we can have a conversation with manufacturers of medical equipment. We can point to this situation and show them the value of having the in-house team trained. To show them the value of having good common-sense preventative maintenance procedures that truly extend the life of the device. To see the in-house team as the resource that they are for ensuring equipment is operational and available for clinicians.
I would like to thank all the health care workers fighting on the front lines, especially the support services people. They are just doing their jobs in background, ensuring our clinicians have everything they need, their spaces are clean and supplies are stocked. They are risking their lives and their families’ lives as well during this pandemic crisis. And, of course, my biomed brothers and sisters out there who are unselfishly ensuring that equipment is working and ready for clinicians and patients. Godspeed to you all.
Jim Fedele, CBET, is the senior director of clinical engineering for UPMC. He manages six Susquehanna Health hospitals. He has 30 years of HTM experience and has worked for multiple service organizations.