User Care of Medical Equipment: A first line maintenance guide for end-users Submitted by Name: Ms Nehal Kapadia; Ms Sunema Talapusi Affiliation: Location: Suva-Fiji; Apia-Samoa E-mail address for contact: kapadia.nehal@gmail.com sunemat@nhs.gov.ws

Country Estimates in Brief Population 191,800 (2014) Population Growth Rate 0.76 Life Expectancy at Birth 70.1 males; 76.5 females (2013) Infant Mortality Rate 15/1,000 births (under 1 year) (2015) Number of Health Centers in Country 2 Tertiary Hospitals 6 District Hospitals 2 health centers 2 medical centers Total Expenditure on Health as % of GDP 7.5% Global CE / HTM Success Stories

Global CE / HTM Success Stories Country's Health Technology Program User Care of Medical Equipment: A first line maintenance guide for end-users Equipment failure due to user errors are common in pacific island countries though exact figures are not available due to lack of documentation To provide regional assistance in reduction of user errors, SSCSiP*, through consultancy, developed a manual on User Care of Medical Equipment The original manual developed for the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was used to develop a version for the Pacific A 2 day training was provided to biomedical technicians of 13 Pacific Island Countries on how to train their clinical staff The manual was revised after receiving comments from the technicians and the final version was published in April 2015. Copies distributed to all 14 countries. *Strengthening Specialised Clinical Services In The Pacific January 2016 Global CE / HTM Success Stories

Country's Health Technology Program Next Steps for Success Story The Samoan Biomedical Engineering Department took the initiative to conduct user training in its hospital Consulted with all key stakeholders: Principal Nurse, Nurse Managers & Senior Nurse Specialist from all the wards in the main hospital TTM 3 equipment with most number of user errors were selected – ECG machine, Infusion Pump and Patient Monitor. Common errors included: Fail to charge batteries, Mishandling of consumables Not cleaning or removing dirt or dried blood off machine Incorrect loading of paper or reverse loading of infusion line 61 Nursing staff were trained January 2016 Global CE / HTM Success Stories

Conclusions and Action Plan Comparison of calls and hours spent on end-user error before and after 10 months of training showed: 28% reduction for end-user error related calls 47% reduction in number of hours spent on end-user errors Availability of functional equipment in a ward increased Nurses gained confidence in using equipment correctly and caring for it. Trainings are now held in wards on regular basis and for all new equipment SSCSiP continues to advocate for User Care of Medical Equipment and plans for it to be incorporated into the Fiji Nursing School Curriculum. January 2016 Global CE / HTM Success Stories