New Equipment Purchasing
OVERVIEW
Important issues:
- Assess need
- Determine specific model
- Funding
- Purchase and implementation
- Education
- Assess benefits
ASSESS NEED
- What purpose will equipment serve
- How many required
- Inadequacies or lack of current equipment
- Who made the request for replacement and what are their specific concerns
DETERMINE SPECIFIC MODEL
Features
- Functions
- Size
- Availability of upgrades
- Compatibility with other equipment in department/institution
- Compliance with National standards, Health policy and Hospital policy
- User friendly
Support
- Training
- Warranty (replacement or fix on site)
- Service commitments
- Access to parts
Cost
- Establish best value model for department’s requirements
FUNDING
- Include in departmental annual budget (for replacement of items only)
- Apply for special funding — Formal application for tied grant
- Institution
- Local government — Provide cost-benefit analysis
PURCHASE AND IMPLEMENTATION
- Delivery
- Physical implementation — Brackets, power supply, safety issues — Location in department
EDUCATION
- Education of nursing and medical staff — By manufacturer — Ongoing education by senior nursing and medical staff
- Regular updates and revision — Implementation into quality assurance loop
- Continuous data retrieval
- Review and revise
ASSESS BENEFITS
Audit
- Number of times used
- Adverse outcomes
- Equipment malfunction
Satisfaction surveys
- Staff
- Patient
Cost-benefit analysis
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC