Equipment Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance
Expect procedural detail: what to inspect, how to measure performance, what limits apply, how to document, and when you may deviate from a manufacturer schedule.
Program design
Build the schedule from the CMMS inventory. Manufacturer recommendations are the default; the Joint Commission permits alternative equipment maintenance only where a documented risk assessment supports it. Life-support and other high-risk devices generally stay on manufacturer intervals or a very well-justified alternative.
What gets tested
Visual and mechanical: cords, strain relief, connectors, labels, alarm audibility, battery capacity. Electrical: protective earth continuity and leakage current. Performance: calibrated analyzer against manufacturer specification, for example defibrillator delivered energy within 15 percent, infusion flow within 5 percent, NIBP within a few mmHg. Calibration must be traceable to a national standard.
Documentation
Each work order records device ID, procedure, measured values, pass or fail, parts, technician and date. Failures and near misses are trended by model, not filed away.
Worked example
A defibrillator set to 200 joules delivers 172 joules. Error is 28 joules, or 14 percent, so it passes the 15 percent criterion but sits close to the edge: check paddle contact, repeat the measurement, and record the actual value rather than writing 'pass'. A unit delivering 165 joules is 17.5 percent off and fails.
Traps
- Recording a pass with no measured values.
- Extending intervals without an approved risk assessment.
- Skipping the battery capacity test because the unit powers on.
- Testing in a mode that bypasses the circuit you are trying to verify.