Environmental Safety Quality Measures
Advances in technology have made complex hospital equipment a routine part
of everyday hospital care.
Telemetry (heart) monitors, pulse oximetry (blood
oxygen) monitors, intravenous (IV) infusion pumps, and specialized electronic
beds are some of the common pieces of equipment that hospitals are responsible
for maintaining in order to provide safe and effective care.
Hospital employees
who are trained to check and repair biomedical equipment (medical equipment
used on people) keep maintenance records for all hospital equipment. Specialized
equipment, such as lasers, may require maintenance from the manufacturer; however,
hospital staff can track service times to ensure proper maintenance.
According
to the Joint
Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare (JCAHO), patients and
visitors also have a role in keeping hospital equipment safe. They can:
- use
equipment as directed by hospital staff
- report problems with beds, wheelchairs,
call lights, or other equipment that is not functioning properly
- ask a nurse
to test infusion pumps, heart monitors, or other devices with alarms in order
to hear the alarm sound and to know when to report problems
At
St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center,
the following measures are taken to ensure properly functioning equipment:
- routine safety and maintenance checks for all biomedical equipment
- continuing education for employees who repair equipment
- a clear process for reporting equipment problems