Unplanned downtime in Healthcare & medical facilities: causes, consequences and solutions
In the healthcare and medical (H&M) sector, the efficient and reliable operation of equipment and facilities is critical.
Unplanned downtime resulting from equipment and infrastructure failure can have severe consequences, particularly when patient and staff safety is compromised.
Consequences of unplanned downtime in H&M
If we look at wider industry statistics, Aberdeen Group in 2017 found that unplanned downtime costs businesses an average of $260,000 per hour across all industries. In industrial settings, unplanned downtime resulting from equipment failure can cost them between 1 to 10% of their productivity.
Another study revealed that businesses with the lowest unplanned downtime invested in preventive maintenance, whereas the costs of downtime were four times higher for businesses that primarily used reactive maintenance.
While some of these consequences are likely mirrored across different sectors, let’s take a look at some industry-specific impacts of unplanned downtime in the healthcare and medical industry.
The gravest consequence of unplanned downtime is compromised patient safety.
A useful example of this is MRI machines and scanners, which in the UK, can be up to 30 years old in some cases.
Diagnostics are already subject to heavy waiting times, and investigations show this is worsened by aged and poorly-maintained medical scanners. Patients are waiting longer for diagnostic tests due to lacking medical device maintenance.
Furthermore, only half of hospitals in the UK plan to replace aged CT scanners, probably due to constrained budgets. This only emphasises the importance of reliably maintaining existing devices.
It’s certainly not inconceivable to think these statistics extend to other medical devices and equipment, which, in some cases, could lead to worsening clinical outcomes.
In private medical facilities, patient satisfaction perhaps takes another form, as they pay for healthcare.
Unplanned downtime can lead to delays in patient care, which can, in turn, result in decreased patient satisfaction.
Prolonged waiting times for medical appointments, diagnostic tests, or treatments can frustrate patients, impacting their healthcare experience.
Unplanned downtime can result in increased costs for healthcare facilities, as emergency repairs often come with higher price tags than planned maintenance.
In healthcare specifically, we know that the NHS already has a £3.2bn maintenance backlog. Policy papers are encouraging preventive maintenance to prevent unplanned downtime and cut costs.
Cybersecurity is a complex category of risk management. There have been numerous examples of data breaches causing catastrophic unplanned downtime in healthcare settings.
The WannaCry incident is one of the most prolific examples, affecting some 200,000 computers across 100 countries. 80 out of 236 NHS healthcare trusts were affected. This resulted in 6% fewer total admissions and slower waiting times.
Unfortunately, ransomware and other data breaches are still widespread in the healthcare industry. Maintaining IT infrastructure is pivotal to preventing cyber-attacks and data breaches, albeit this is a complex area of healthcare facility maintenance that has its own unique processes.
Repeated unplanned downtime can harm a healthcare facility’s reputation, as patients may question the reliability and quality of care provided.
This is especially true for private medical facilities that rely on self-paying patients.
Delays in care, results and other outcomes resulting from equipment downtime could erode the reputation of private medical institutions and, in turn, profits.
Unplanned downtime and condition monitoring techniques
One method of mitigating the risk of unplanned downtime is by implementing condition-monitoring techniques.
Condition monitoring is linked to predictive maintenance, representing a new frontier in maintenance management. Predictive maintenance is typically discussed in reference to industrial and manufacturing but is slowly penetrating healthcare.
Condition monitoring techniques involve continuously or periodically assessing equipment to detect potential issues before they develop.
Some common condition monitoring techniques employed in H&M facilities include:
1. Vibration analysis
This technique involves measuring the vibration levels of equipment, such as motors and pumps, to identify any abnormalities that may indicate a developing issue.
Vibration analysis is cutting-edge in the context of medical device maintenance.One study in a hospital in the UAE equipped a medical device with an IoT vibration analysis sensor and obtained cost savings of 25%.
2. Thermography
Infrared thermography can be used to identify temperature anomalies in electrical and mechanical systems, pointing to potential problems like overheating.
It’s often used for generators, battery-operated devices and transformers.
3. Oil analysis
Regular oil analysis can reveal the presence of contaminants, wear particles, or changes in the oil’s properties, all of which can indicate potential issues within the equipment. This is useful for mechanical infrastructure, such as hydraulic lifts.
4. Trend and root-cause analysis
Complex medical devices like MRI scanners typically display altered functionality prior to failure.
Hitachi developed a sophisticated monitoring technique that analysed MRI scanners to target maintenance procedures. The experiment, which used a mixture of IoT and AI analysis, resulted in downtime reductions of 16.3%.
Predictive maintenance and unplanned downtime in the context of H&M
Predictive maintenance is a proactive approach to equipment maintenance that uses data gathered from condition monitoring techniques to predict when a failure is likely to occur.
By performing maintenance activities based on these predictions, H&M facilities can reduce the risk of unplanned downtime and ensure equipment remains in optimal condition.
Improved equipment reliability
Predictive maintenance enables healthcare facilities to address potential issues before they result in equipment failures, reducing the likelihood of unplanned downtime and improving overall equipment reliability.
Reduced maintenance costs
By addressing issues before they escalate, predictive maintenance can avoid costly emergency repairs, reducing maintenance costs.
Compared to reactive maintenance, predictive maintenance has been shown to result in savings of 30-40%. Compared to preventive maintenance, savings of 8 to 12% are more typical.
A 2017 Deloitte study found that predictive maintenance could lead to a 10 to 20% increase in uptime and a 5-10% reduction in maintenance costs, improving maintenance time efficiency by up to 50%.
Increased patient safety and satisfaction
With a predictive maintenance approach, H&M facilities can ensure that critical medical equipment is always available and functioning optimally, improving patient safety and satisfaction.
How Infraspeak can help manage unplanned downtime
Infraspeak is an Intelligent Maintenance Management Platform (IMMP) designed to streamline and optimise maintenance activities.
Here’s how our intelligent platform can effectively clamp down on unplanned downtime:
Asset management
Infraspeak Hub creates a comprehensive medical equipment inventory with relevant documentation, maintenance history, and performance data.
Centralising asset management activities ensures a panoramic view of all assets and their relevant data.
Work order management
Infraspeak allows managers to manage work orders efficiently, streamlining the process of assigning, tracking, and completing maintenance tasks.
This ensures that your maintenance team can quickly address any emerging issues, minimising the risk of unplanned downtime.
Reporting and analytics
Infraspeak Gear provides valuable insights into equipment performance and maintenance activities through its reporting and analytics features.
Asset and facility managers can use data to identify trends, evaluate the effectiveness of their maintenance strategies, and make data-driven decisions to optimise processes.
An Intelligent Maintenance Management Platform (IMMP) for modern healthcare maintenance
Unplanned downtime in healthcare and medical facilities can significantly impact patient satisfaction, safety and overall facility costs.
By adopting a proactive maintenance approach, H&M facilities can reduce the risk of unplanned downtime and ensure that equipment remains in optimal condition.
Infraspeak’s IMMP is invaluable in managing unplanned downtime, providing comprehensive asset management and advanced AI-enabled data analytics.
Schedule a demo to find out how Infraspeak can enhance your H&M facility maintenance responsibilities.
