Servicing medical therapeutic equipment
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out servicing activities on medical therapeutic equipment, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to service a range of medical therapeutic equipment, such as nerve stimulating devices, interferential therapy devices, therapeutic ultrasound devices, therapeutic diathermy devices, traction devices, exercise equipment and hydrotherapy equipment. This will involve dismantling, removing and replacing faulty items on a variety of different types of medical therapeutic equipment. You will be expected to apply a range of dismantling and reassembly methods and techniques, which are appropriate to the equipment being serviced and the type of components being removed/replaced, and which will include electrical, electronic and mechanical units and components.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the servicing activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all tools, equipment and materials used in the servicing activities are removed from the work area on completion of the activities, and that all necessary job/task documentation is completed accurately and legibly. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions, and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying the correct servicing procedures. You will understand the dismantling and reassembly methods and procedures used, and their application. You will know about the medical therapeutic equipment being worked on, and component properties, functions and associated defects, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the servicing activities, correcting faults and ensuring that the serviced equipment functions to the required specification and remains compliant with all standards and regulations.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the servicing activities, especially those for isolating the equipment. You will also understand your responsibilities for safety, and the importance of taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant servicing schedules to carry out the required work
- carry out the servicing activities within the limits of your personal authority
- carry out the servicing activities in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
- remove and replace/refit a range of components
- report any instances where the servicing activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
- complete and store all relevant servicing documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures and leave the work area in a safe condition
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health and safety, infection control and de-contamination requirements of the work area and equipment being serviced, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the statutory and advisory documentation relating to medical therapeutic equipment (such as warnings and guidance from the regulatory authority, relevant standards)
- the importance of reporting any equipment adverse incidents to the regulatory authority
- the isolation procedure that applies to the servicing activities (such as electrical isolation, removal of fuses, placing of maintenance warning notices)
- how to recognise and deal with victims of electric shock (to include methods of safely removing the victim from the power source, isolating the power source, methods of first aid resuscitation)
- how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting, isolating transformers)
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during the servicing activities
- how to obtain and interpret documents needed in the servicing activities (such as drawings, circuit and physical layouts, charts, specifications, manufacturers' manuals, history/maintenance reports, graphical electronic/electrical symbols, current wiring regulations)
- the working practices of, and the need to respect, the hospital ward and/or patient environment
- hazards associated with carrying out servicing activities on medical therapeutic equipment (such as exposure to live conductors, misuse of tools, radio frequency (RF) burns), and how to minimise them and reduce any risks
- the basic principles of operation of the medical therapeutic equipment being serviced, and the function of individual components
- the human physiology directly associated with the medical therapeutic equipment being serviced
- the risks to the human body from external energy sources associated with the therapeutic equipment
- the application and functions of a range of components used in the equipment (such as switches, sensors, overload protection devices, transformers, thermistors, rectifiers, printed circuit boards, valves, pumps)
- the care, handling and application of multimeters, ohmmeters and other electrical measuring instruments (such as dedicated test equipment, built-in test equipment)
- organisational policy on the repair/replacement of components, and the procedure for obtaining replacement parts, materials and other consumables necessary for the maintenance activities
- how to check that the replacement components meet the required specification/operating conditions (such as values, tolerance, current carrying capacity, voltage rating, power rating, working temperature range)
- the techniques used to dismantle/reassemble medical therapeutic equipment (such as unplugging, de-soldering, removal of screwed, clamped and crimped connections, removal of pipes, hoses and mechanical components)
- methods of removing and replacing components without causing damage to the equipment or other components
- the procedures and precautions to be adopted to eliminate/protect against electrostatic discharge (ESD) when working on sensitive equipment or devices
- the different types of cabling (such as multicore cables, single core cables, steel wire armoured (SWA), mineral insulated (MI), screened cables, data cables), and their application
- the use of current wiring and other regulations when replacing wires and cables
- methods of attaching identification markers/labels to removed components or cables to assist with re-assembly
- the tools and equipment used in the servicing activities (including the use of cable stripping tools, crimping tools, soldering irons)
- methods of checking that components are fit for purpose, and the need to replace `lifed' items
- how to make adjustments to components/assemblies to ensure that they function correctly
- how to check that tools and equipment are free from damage or defects, are in a safe and usable condition, and are configured correctly for the intended purpose
- the importance of carrying out electrical safety tests on medical therapeutic equipment, and the implications if this is not carried out
- the importance of making visual checks before proving the equipment with the electrical supply on
- the generation of documentation and/or reports following the servicing activity
- the equipment operating and control procedures to be applied during the servicing activity
- the problems that can occur during the servicing activity, and how they can be overcome
- the organisational procedure(s) to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of material
- the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have a problem that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Carry out all of the following during the servicing activities:
- plan and communicate the servicing activities so as to minimise disruption to normal working
- obtain and use the correct issue of organisational and/or manufacturers' drawings and servicing documentation
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- ensure that the correct equipment decontamination procedure has been adhered to before and after the servicing activities
- ensure the safe isolation of equipment (such as electricity, mechanical, gas, air or fluids)
- provide and maintain safe access and working arrangements for the servicing area
- carry out the servicing activities, using appropriate techniques and procedures
- return the equipment to service on completion of the activities
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures, and leave the work area in a safe condition
Carry out servicing on five of the following types of medical therapeutic equipment:
- nerve stimulating devices
- therapeutic diathermy devices
- hydrotherapy equipment
- interferential therapy devices
- traction devices
- exercise equipment
- therapeutic ultrasound devices
- heater lamps
Carry out all of the following activities, as applicable to the equipment being serviced:
- isolating the equipment
- applying electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions
- dismantling equipment to the appropriate level
- disconnecting and reconnecting wires and cables
- soldering and de-soldering (as applicable)
- removing and replacing electrical units/components
- removing and replacing mechanical units/components
- checking components for serviceability
- replacing damaged/defective components
- attaching suitable cable identification markers
- replacing all `lifed' items
- setting and adjusting replaced components
- tightening fastenings to the required torque
- re-calibrating and/or adjusting equipment
- making visual checks before powering up
- carrying out electrical safety tests
- checking equipment operating parameters
- functionally testing the serviced equipment
Remove and replace/refit a range of components, to include twelve of the following:
- cables and connectors
- rectifiers
- belts
- switches
- printed circuit boards
- sensors
- timers
- display units
- overload protection devices
- thermistors
- seals
- valves
- locking and retaining devices
- transformers
- batteries
- pumps
- power supplies
- transducers
- gears
- hoses/pipework
- analogue or digital integrated circuits
- inductors
- bearings
- structural components (such as hinges, covers and wheels)
- motors
- gauges
- heater lamps/elements
- pulleys
- potentiometers
- indicators (such as lamps, LEDs)
- other specific components
Service medical therapeutic equipment, in compliance with all of the following:
- organisational guidelines and codes of practice
- equipment manufacturer's operation range
- relevant and current HTM documentation
- equipment and associated BSEN standards, CE marking and current wiring regulations (where appropriate)
- the equipment functions to specification
- the equipment remains compliant with all standards and regulations
- all potential defects are identified and reported for future action
Complete and store all relevant servicing documentation in accordance with organisational requirements, using one of the following:
- job cards
- servicing logs or reports
- organisational-specific documentation
- electronic reports