Choosing the right surgical instrument repair service is crucial for maintaining the safety and efficiency of your operating theatre. In this article, we’ll examine the main factors to consider when making an informed decision.
1. Price
Having to re-purchase new surgical instruments every time your products break can quickly become a very costly investment for hospitals. If the tools are not considered beyond economical repair (if the cost of repair is not higher than the price of new surgical instruments) a surgical instrument repair service might be the most cost-effective option. Reports show that hospitals can save up to 50 % when repairing their surgical instruments instead of purchasing new ones. The cost to repair multiple sets of surgical instruments might be less than you think and could help hospitals reduce their instrumentation costs by half.
2. Quality & Regulations
You will want to ensure that all of your instruments still perform correctly and in compliance with regulations once they’ve been repaired. For this, it is important that your repair service meets the correct accreditations for your needs. On the compliance side, check for ISO certifications such as ISO9001, ISO13485, and ISO14001. On the service quality side, it’s worth looking for a provider that offers a wide range of services such as general instrumentation, diathermy instruments, and micro instrumentation, as this indicates their level of experience and skills.
3. Expertise
Your repair service provider must have the relevant expertise and use the right equipment throughout the repair. This will ensure that the equipment is repaired to the correct standard and will avoid any issues that could reduce the equipment’s service life. Higher quality repair companies will be able to offer bespoke repair solutions, to suit the needs of the healthcare professional.
4. Time & Reliability
As surgical instruments used in operation theatres are essential, all good repair services should offer a fast turnaround. Five-day turnaround for non-urgent orders is standard and 48-hour turnarounds for urgent repairs. Seek out client feedback, reviews, testimonials, or contact references if possible to gauge the repair services’ customer satisfaction levels, paying special attention to turnaround times and availability.
5. Equipment That Is No Longer Supported By The OEM
Even if your supplier ticks the boxes on price, compliance, expertise, and timescale, you should ensure that you use a high-quality surgical instrument repair service. Sometimes, the surgical instruments in need of repair might no longer be supported by the OEM, but a good surgical instrument repair company will repair the products back to OEM standards. By repairing the surgical instruments used in operation theatres, you will not only be able to save significant amounts of money. You will also be able to keep using surgical instruments no longer supported by the OEM without losing quality and keep ensuring performance, whilst also helping reduce carbon emissions by embracing the circular economy.
Find Out More About Surgical Instrument Repairs
Uniplex is one of the UK’s leading surgical instrument repair services, with over 40 years of industry experience and a standard turnaround of five days. For more information, please visit our surgical instrument repair service page, or contact us to request a callback.
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