Each year, National Nurses Week reminds us of the importance of our caring and hardworking front-line staff. Their compassionate bedside manner and tireless work ethic make sure those who are most in need have the highest quality of care around the clock. This week especially is a wonderful time to step back and ask yourself: as a Clinical Engineer, how can I help empower our Nursing staff? This blog addresses three frustrations nurses encounter daily that Clinical Engineers have the power to help solve.
1. "There is Broken Equipment Cluttering My Floor"
Even if the equipment isn’t technically broken, responding to requests in a timely manner is paramount to establishing trust between departments. Seeing damaged stuff and sticky notes gives off the appearance that nothing is being done, even if it actually is. Helping nurses in their effort to get equipment off the floor keeps the break-fix process flowing.
2. "I Can't Easily Report Broken Equipment"
Ask yourself, is there a clear process for flagging if a device is broken? Provide clear steps for training, repairs, etc. If equipment is handled by different parties, include contact info on the equipment or training. Implementing a request portal is industry best practice for streamlining your mobile medical equipment repair & preventative maintenance process.
3. "Once it is Taken for Repiar, I Never Get it Back Quickly"
Be proactive and transparent: how often is the equipment really broken? How long does it take Clinical Engineering to fix and return equipment to nurses? Establishing service level agreements and metrics around equipment repair turn around time with Nursing sets clear expectations and allows visibility across departmens into the equipment repair process.
Taking the time to address these pain points that nurses experience on a daily basis will help your department deliver equipment in a more streamlined mannor while creating cross departmental communication in your organization. Looking to learn more about streamlining your clinical engineering department? Check out our eBook on whether an ISO could be a good fit for your organization.