1. User Care of Medical Equipment: A first line maintenance guide for end-users
Submitted by
Name: Ms Nehal Kapadia; Ms Sunema Talapusi
Affiliation:
Location: Suva-Fiji; Apia-Samoa
address for contact:

2. Country Estimates in Brief
Population
191,800 (2014)
Population Growth Rate
0.76
Life Expectancy at Birth
70.1 males; 76.5 females (2013)
Infant Mortality Rate
15/1,000 births (under 1 year) (2015)
Number of Health Centers in Country
2 Tertiary Hospitals
6 District Hospitals
2 health centers
2 medical centers
Total Expenditure on Health as % of GDP
7.5%
Global CE / HTM Success Stories

3. Global CE / HTM Success Stories
Country's Health Technology Program User Care of Medical Equipment: A first line maintenance guide for end-users
Equipment failure due to user errors are common in pacific island countries though exact figures are not available due to lack of documentation
To provide regional assistance in reduction of user errors, SSCSiP*, through consultancy, developed a manual on User Care of Medical Equipment
The original manual developed for the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was used to develop a version for the Pacific
A 2 day training was provided to biomedical technicians of 13 Pacific Island Countries on how to train their clinical staff
The manual was revised after receiving comments from the technicians and the final version was published in April Copies distributed to all 14 countries.
*Strengthening Specialised Clinical Services In The Pacific
January 2016
Global CE / HTM Success Stories

4. Country's Health Technology Program Next Steps for Success Story
The Samoan Biomedical Engineering Department took the initiative to conduct user training in its hospital
Consulted with all key stakeholders:
Principal Nurse, Nurse Managers & Senior Nurse Specialist from all the wards in the main hospital TTM
3 equipment with most number of user errors were selected – ECG machine, Infusion Pump and Patient Monitor. Common errors included:
Fail to charge batteries, Mishandling of consumables
Not cleaning or removing dirt or dried blood off machine
Incorrect loading of paper or reverse loading of infusion line
61 Nursing staff were trained
January 2016
Global CE / HTM Success Stories

5. Conclusions and Action Plan
Comparison of calls and hours spent on end-user error before and after 10 months of training showed:
28% reduction for end-user error related calls
47% reduction in number of hours spent on end-user errors
Availability of functional equipment in a ward increased
Nurses gained confidence in using equipment correctly and caring for it.
Trainings are now held in wards on regular basis and for all new equipment
SSCSiP continues to advocate for User Care of Medical Equipment and plans for it to be incorporated into the Fiji Nursing School Curriculum.
January 2016
Global CE / HTM Success Stories