Factors Affecting the Functioning of Critical Medical Equipment in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective In this study, we aimed to estimate the mean downtime of the commonly used equipment and to identify the causes of their downtime in a tertiary care hospital. Methods Data were collected through retrospective record analysis of commonly used hospital equipment over two years, followed by prospective data collection on the same equipment over six months to capture key maintenance parameters. Results The average downtime index for all equipment was 8.78%. It was observed that cardiac monitors had the maximum downtime at 41.8%. The main causes of downtime were inadequate maintenance at 25.28%, product failure at 14.94%, and mishandling at 14.18%. Conclusions It was observed that newer equipment experienced less downtime. A lack of spares and accessory inventory in both hospital stores and with vendors contributed to downtime. Given staff turnover and a lack of reinforcement, personnel operating the equipment were often without adequate operational knowledge. Some good maintenance practices identified included the provision of extra accessories by vendors in accordance with the terms and conditions of the tender. The main causes of downtime were inadequate maintenance, product failure, and mishandling, which together accounted for nearly half of all causes.