Study of the process of maintaining medical equipment in Iranian blood centers

Abstract Background and Objectives Preventive maintenance plays a crucial role in ensuring continuous operation and increasing the accuracy and safety of medical equipment. The existence of this system can significantly reduce the cost of the repair and replacement. In this study, the effectiveness of the maintenance of medical equipment of 7 blood centers was evaluated in Tehran, Karaj, Gilan, Mazandaran, Semnan, Shiraz and Yazd during the years 2016-2018. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study, the effectiveness of establishing maintenance management on 201 devices with a history of more than 5 years in 7 blood transfusion centers was evaluated. Performance status and effectiveness of periodic visits and training were done through a questionnaire and in person. Descriptive and inferential statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and Spearman correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. The results were statistically calculated using SPSS 16 software. Results The results of this study showed that about 40% of the medical equipment of these centers do not have a regular evaluation and the operating conditions of the devices, periodic visits and user training were 87%, 64% and 43% in good scale, respectively. Analysis of variance also showed that the mean scores of equipment performance conditions, periodic visits, and user training were not statistically significant according to relevant international standards. Conclusions  Establishment of medical equipment maintenance management has led to continued performance, increased accuracy of results, access time, and useful life along with reduced breakdowns and the cost of repairs.