Training & Skill development with used medical equipment
Using used medical equipment for training and demo purposes is a common and smart practice in healthcare. Would you ever like to use a brand-new car to learn driving? You wouldn’t like to cause any damage to it, right? The same goes for learning to use any medical equipment.
Medical equipment can be complex devices and often expensive to own and repair. Theoretical knowledge about the equipment is very important to understand the science behind the working of the equipment. However, theoretical knowledge alone is not sufficient in actual use, handling and most importantly repair of the equipment. This is the reason why all medical equipment related trainings are almost always a combination of classroom as well as hands-on training on actual medical equipment.
Medical equipment is used for training and demonstrations to provide a stress-free and yet real opportunity for users and service engineers to get familiar with the actual components or parts of the equipment, understand the workings of the machine, practice procedures and gain confidence before handling real equipment on the hospital floor.
This ensures proper usage, minimal user errors during actual usage, reduced damage and resultant longer-life for the equipment.
Training institutes specialising in nursing, paramedical technician or bio-medical engineer or diploma trainings can strengthen their teaching capacity and skill development facilities using second hand medical equipment or even non-working equipment.
Let us examine what are the pros and cons of using used or second hand medical equipment for training and demonstration purposes. Following are the main points of consideration:
Advantages of using used medical equipment for training & demo
· Hands-on experience with real equipment
Hands-on training on real equipment gives learners practical experience before actual handling in the hospital settings. This is invaluable because this minimises errors, reduces damage and fosters proper usage of the equipment at site. A better trained staff can improve patient care, care of the equipment and hence its overall life.
During training, service engineers can actually open-up the equipment and examine its internal components. This helps in better identifying faulty vs functionally intact components. Trainees can learn to open, fix issues, put the equipment back together and properly test the equipment. They can learn DO’s and DON’Ts of proper handling the equipment and consequences.
Opening up complex equipment in hospital settings can be a daunting task for fresh engineers and users. This kind of prior hands-on training would give them familiarity and immense confidence before servicing or using real, expensive equipment at site.
· Cost-Effective training resources
Using new equipment for training purposes is a costly and not a very practical solution. Cost of medical equipment can be anywhere from a few lakh Rupees to several crores, especially advanced imaging, laboratory, endoscopy, ICU or OT equipment. Using used or refurbished medical equipment can be a substantially cost-effective option.
In case of early trainings for understanding components and basic workings, a training centre can even use faulty or non-working/ condemned units. Trainees can freely learn without the fear of causing any damage to the equipment.
Budgets are always a constraint, when it comes to training. One can get two or more of the same equipment for the budget of one new equipment. These could be slightly different models/ versions of the same machine. Hence, not only providing diverse training opportunities on varied models, but also higher capacity for training multiple students at the same time.
· Sustainable Learning & Healthcare
Using used medical equipment for training & demo is an environmentally friendly and sustainable option. So far responsible e-waste management and sustainability concepts focussed on reuse, repair, refurbish and recycle. Using used medical equipment for training takes this a step further.
Disadvantages of using used medical equipment for skill development
· Outdated models
If one is using a used medical equipment for training & demo purpose, chances are, the model being used is not the latest. It may even be outdated. Even though there is a lot of learning that a student can benefit from even an older model, it may not exactly be the same equipment they may actually use or service. This has to be kept in mind.
· Non-working machines need to be used with caution
If using a machine condemned by a hospital, not all parts may be working properly. This may lead to some aspects of the training not comprehensively covered or only in a limited way.
On the whole using used medical equipment for training and demo purposes is a smart idea. Training institutes specialising in nursing, paramedical technician or bio-medical engineer or diploma trainings can strengthen their teaching capacity and skill development facilities using second hand medical equipment or even non-working equipment.
One has to weigh the pros and cons and consider the cost-benefit before taking a decision on investing in training resources.
Where to find used medical equipment for training and demo purposes?
Reach out to used medical equipment vendors and re-sellers for cost effective options depending on your budget for training. It is possible to procure sparingly used demo equipment to even non-working equipment.
PrimedeQ is an e-Marketplace for buying, selling, renting, servicing and spares of medical equipment. We offer all types of used / refurbished medical equipment , including diagnostic imaging, OT & ICU, maternity, IVF, NICU, Ophthalmology equipment, ENT etc. We offer repairservices for all types of medical equipment including X-Ray repair, X-Ray tube repair/ tube oil refilling, Ultrasound machine probe repair, A-Scan and B-scan repair service, microdebrider, laparoscope , rigid and flexible endoscopes as well as EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound Units) and Laboratory equipment etc. We also help hospitals in medical equipment disposal.
Contact +91 7019759765 or [email protected] for more details on any used medical equipment.
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