Maintenance decision making of medical equipment based on reliability bathtub curve

Objective To analyze the current medical equipment maintenance management model and the existing problems. Methods According to the law of reliability bathtub curve, the maintenance decision of medical equipments was analyzed from the three failure period stages, including early failure period, accidental failure period and loss failure period. By taking breathing machines as an example, a maintenance decision analysis during accidental failures was conducted. Results Medical equipment problems are caused by a variety of reasons, including operational problem, technical problem and management problem. The operational problem is caused by maintenance delays, lack of maintenance, and non-standard operations. The technical problem was caused by a wide variety of medical equipment and complex maintenance manuals. The management problem was caused by lacking of scientific management in equipment maintenance and updates. Conclusions For different stages of medical equipment, the impact factors are different and different maintenance strategies should be selected. Key words: Clinical engineering; Medical equipments; Bathtub curve; Breathing machine; Maintenance decision making