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HANDY GUY TO HAVE AROUND
Train a Nurse to Fix Surgical Equipment
W
hen an electronic device malfunctions, you can call a biomedical
engineer or the manufacturer's service line, but in the meantime
you're out of commission and productivity screeches to a halt. It doesn't
have to be that way, not if you assign a nurse to troubleshoot balky equipment.
I'm Mr. Fix-It at my facility. I carry a mobile
phone, and everyone on staff knows the number
in case technical difficulties silence anything
from electrosurgery units to video systems. Nine
Robert Scroggins, RN, BSN, CMLSO
times out of 10, I can get the system up and running in short order, though I don't open up anything — that's a job for the service experts.
The job of clinical technology resource nurse
MR. FIX-IT Rob Scroggins, with a CO2
laser, troubleshoots balky equipment.
requires some interest in and experience with
technology, as well as beyond-the-user's-manu-
al training and a good working relationship with vendors' representatives and biomed techs. This training might add to staffing costs, but
the payoff can be huge. How expensive are avoidable equipment
delays? How valuable is an assurance that your surgeons and staff
won't be left hanging for a relatively simple fix?
Robert Scroggins, RN, BSN, CMLSO, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, Ky.
rwscroggins@insightbb.com
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