Quality in management of biomedical equipment.

The project described in this paper concerns the assurance of quality in biomedical equipment management. The project commenced in 1988 with the establishment of the Clinical Engineering Department at the General Hospital of Bolzano, which was entrusted with the task of managing all biomedical equipment installed within its health institutions. To ensure the systematic and organic management of biomedical technology, new technical and administrative procedures were introduced. The results achieved have been validated both through a detailed analysis of staff replies to a specific questionnaire and on the basis of several objective indicators, such as maintenance costs and equipment breakdown times.