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Keep surgical instruments finely-tuned

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, February 3, 2005

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With so many high-tech medical instruments in use at your surgery center, how do you know they are all maintained and tested properly? "Develop a policy, document maintenance and testing, and follow the manufacturer's guidelines," says Gayle R. Evans, REN, BSN, MBA, CNOR, CASC, president of Continuum Healthcare Consultants in Kennesaw, GA.

AAAHC standard 8.P requires that you properly maintain and periodically test equipment. How you do that is up to you, but Evans suggests the following six tips to ensure compliance:

1. Use a trained and qualified staff person-usually a biomedical engineer-to test the equipment.

2. Inspect equipment as often as suggested by the manufacturer. For example, inspect quarterly for a refrigerator or daily for laser equipment.

3. Inspect equipment after it is relocated or moved.

4. Make sure manufacturer tags are present, up to date, and properly documented for all equipment.

5. Require qualified staff to follow the manufacturer's guidelines for maintenance and testing.

6. Create a policy to document

• your facility's expectations with the equipment maintenance and testing
• the frequency at which the equipment is tested
• the person who conducts the tests and his or her credentials
• whether all necessary daily inspections have been completed

The trouble spot for this standard is documentation, so make sure qualified staff document the maintenance and testing of all equipment, says Evans. A lot of facilities do the work but don't have the documentation to back it up once surveyors arrive.

Remember, AAAHC standard 8.P not only applies to all clinical equipment, it also applies to other equipment, such as refrigerators used to store medical supplies, fire extinguishers, and power generators.

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