Vancouver Clinic

Modernizing Biomedical Equipment Management

Over the past 20 years, I have worked with several CMMS platforms. They all promise “medical equipment management,” but they are not equally effective. The difference is a system that is fast, user-friendly and capable of meeting today’s demands. A modern, cloud-based CMMS gives the biomedical team a reliable way to manage assets while keeping clinical staff informed throughout a repair or preventive maintenance request. A clinician can see when the request was submitted, its current status and when the device is expected back in service; they can plan care more confidently. That visibility reduces uncertainty, supports timely decisions and ultimately strengthens patient safety and quality of care.

Building Reliable and Compliant Equipment Programs

The four key strategies for reliable compliant equipment programs are a well-designed CMMS, preventive and predictive maintenance, accreditation readiness and professional training and development. A well-designed CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) provides the foundation for asset tracking, repairs, preventive maintenance, parts and labor costs, depreciation, lifecycle planning and timely updates to users.

Preventive and predictive maintenance are equally important. Scheduled service helps prevent avoidable failures, while condition data, sensors and service history can help teams identify components that may fail before they disrupt patient care. Accreditation readiness also requires regular internal reviews of equipment records and management processes to help demonstrate that devices are safe, operational and maintained in accordance with applicable requirements.

Professional training and development remain essential. Technical education, hands-on experience and OEM training give biomedical professionals the skills to maintain complex devices safely and consistently. Clinical user training reinforces correct operation and basic troubleshooting, reducing preventable damage, unnecessary service calls and delays in care.

Scheduled service helps prevent avoidable failures, while condition data, sensors and service history can help teams identify components that may fail before they disrupt patient care.

Strengthening Collaboration between Biomedical and Clinical Teams

After many years working alongside clinical staff in ICUs, operating rooms, sterile processing areas and clinics, I have learned that face-to-face collaboration is essential. Teams and email are useful, but nothing replaces seeing the device in its clinical setting and hearing directly from the people who use it every day. Clinicians can describe what happened, demonstrate the workflow and explain the effect on patient care. In return, biomedical professionals can clarify next steps, share realistic timelines and offer practical guidance. Combined with transparent CMMS updates, this partnership improves troubleshooting, shortens turnaround time and reduces equipment-related risk.

Emerging Technologies Shaping Biomedical Engineering

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are already changing the field, but several related trends may be just as important. The Internet of Medical Things will expand remote monitoring and generate richer device-performance data. Stronger healthcare cybersecurity will become essential as more equipment connects to hospital networks.

Interoperability standards will help systems exchange information more reliably, while telemedicine and medical robotics will broaden the range of technologies that biomedical teams support. Together, these developments will shift clinical engineering and biomedical equipment technician teams toward more proactive monitoring and a broader responsibility for protecting patients from both physical and digital harm.

Advice for Biomedical Engineering Professionals

My best advice for biomedical engineering professionals is to document everything. From incoming inspection through end of life, every relevant detail should be captured in the device record and work order. Record the problem, troubleshooting steps, parts used, purchase orders, costs, repair specifications, test results and final resolution.

I have often needed to revisit a work-order history to answer a question or identify a pattern and complete records make that possible. Over time, accurate CMMS data creates a clear picture of inventory, device health, reliability and lifecycle needs. That information supports better capital planning, reduces unnecessary costs, improves efficiency and helps the organization provide safe, dependable patient care.