Equipment management yields big results
By Tracy Nowicki, Clinical Nurse, Prince Charles Hospital Health Service District, Brisbane, Queensland
An initiative in central equipment management at the Prince Charles Hospital Health Service District (TPCHHSD) in Brisbane is allowing the hospital to maximise its use of essential equipment, with real benefits to patients and staff.
The 700 bed facility comprising acute cardio-thoracic, acquired brain injury and aged care beds has enhanced its equipment management by centralising high use medical equipment and pressure-relieving devices into a common area for tracking and maintenance.
What began as a fundamental supply service ten years ago, the Principal Items Equipment Store (PIES) has progressed to become a vital service as it has evolved to meet the changing needs of clinical areas.
Lead by two clinical nurses, PIES provides equitable access to equipment, education and service for all clinical areas. All departments using the service contribute a portion of their budget to the PIES cost centre, in order to establish initial funding.
Equipment available from PIES includes pressure relieving devices, volumetric infusion pumps, syringe and feeding pumps, resuscitation equipment, medical gas equipment, suction equipment, equipment for obese patients, oxygen saturation monitors, patient controlled analgesia boxes, pacing pumps, educational resuscitation equipment and glucometers. PIES also has some jurisdiction over audiovisual equipment.
While PIES has established many effective working relationships, its relationship with the wound care consultant has produced profound results. Working together to ensure best patient outcomes, the partnership promotes the implementation of guidelines for Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management. It has achieved 100% compliance in using the guidelines and a 50% reduction in the prevalence of pressure ulcers throughout the campus.
This is significant not only in terms of the reduction of patient suffering and inconvenience, but also in reduced hospital costs (a stage four pressure ulcer costs approximately $61 230 to heal) and increased opportunity to treat other patients.1
Over the last twelve months, TPCHHSD has also achieved a 95% reduction in the hire of pressure relieving devices.
PIES has continued to improve its service and has been a resounding success:
Nursing staff are no longer wasting time hunting for equipment to borrow from other wards and department.
Equipment is available at all times, clean, safe and ready to go. Oxygen regulators were once a major problem as they ‘disappeared’ regularly from the hospital grounds. Local records suggested that approximately 56 oxygen regulators went missing over a 15-month period. Since the introduction of formal auditing by PIES, only three regulators have been lost in a two-year period.
Supervised trials and evaluations are made before purchase of equipment. Staff using the equipment have full opportunity to comment on the choice of purchase.
In-service sessions on topics such as pressure ulcer risk assessment and new equipment have had ‘standing room only’.
Cost savings have accrued in a number of ways as a result of the activity of the PIES Department.
Equipment is now more appropriately used, thus reducing repairs and operator error.
Equipment is no longer stored in cupboard for ‘just-in-case’, but rather ‘surrendered’ for the benefit of all units.
Repairs to equipment have significantly reduced with the preventative maintenance program.
Lost equipment disappearance has significantly reduced, as proven by weekly audits.
Most importantly, patient suffering has been reduced and the cost to treat pressure ulcers has reduced significantly.
Reference
Young, C. What cost a pressure ulcer?, Primary Intention, 1997, Vol 5, pp.21-31.