Evidence-based maintenance approach for medical equipment in Rwanda

Abstract

Medical Equipment is essential for safe and effective patient care and has a significant impact on the financial viability and accreditation of healthcare organizations. Maintenance is a key component of medical equipment life cycle management. For this reason, equipment maintenance requires adequate planning, implementation, and monitoring. In Rwanda, healthcare organizations have a duty to reduce the cost and the dependency on external parties while ensuring that the medical equipment is safe, accurate, and operating at the required level of performance. The first objective of this work was to study medical equipment maintenance programs in Rwanda and evaluate if they comply with international standards for medical equipment maintenance programs. A questionnaire adapted from international standards was used to study the current maintenance procedures in Rwanda. Three data sources were hospital administration; the biomedical engineering department and end users. The results showed a low level of compliance with international standards regarding the availability of resources, procedures, and services. The second objective was to improve the Rwandan health care service delivery system by suggesting an evidence-based maintenance approach for planning, implementing, and monitoring medical equipment maintenance in Rwanda. Factors influencing effective maintenance planning, implementation and monitoring were reviewed. Therefore, an evidence-based approach has been proposed to support and enhance the management of medical equipment maintenance in Rwanda. Longtime solutions for medical equipment maintenance program strengthening involve availing physical resources (standardized workshops, testing, and maintenance tools), increasing the number of biomedical technicians and engineers, and enhancement of training programs. In addition, it will be critical to set a national policy for maintenance programs. These steps could produce a high impact on risk reduction and contribute to the allocation of available resources, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) such as Rwanda. This present finding should encourage ongoing research on factors that affect standards compliance and the correlation between those factors.