Preventive vs corrective: the economics
Corrective maintenance (fix after failure) is always more expensive: operational downtime, emergency spares, risk of cascading damage and clinical impact on patients. Scheduled preventive maintenance anticipates wear and replaces components before failure. A properly executed preventive plan drastically reduces corrective events.
Service intervals
A standard plan combines different frequencies: daily by the operator (pre-use checklist), monthly operational checks, quarterly / biannual technician visits and annual major service with instrumentation calibration and documented functional tests.
- Daily: pre-use checklist by operator
- Monthly: operational review and logging
- Biannual: technician verification visit
- Annual: major service with calibration
Critical components to inspect
The plan covers: seals and gaskets, pressurization system, pressure and oxygen instrumentation, relief valves, control panel, patient communication, interior lighting, seating / stretcher and compressor system. Each component has estimated service life and must be logged.
Records and traceability
Every intervention must be documented: date, technician, components inspected, parts replaced, observations and next scheduled date. This record is required by internal and external audits and by insurers. It also protects the center against any future incident.
Maintenance contract: what to require
A serious contract defines: scheduled annual visits, corrective response time, included and excluded spares, included calibrations, refresher training and a written technical report per visit. Avoid generic contracts that only promise 'maintenance': require a written, quantifiable scope.