Biomedical Equipment Technician how-to

How to Respond to an Urgent Equipment Failure

Critical equipment problems need fast, safe action.

Updated By the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team
Quick answer

Critical equipment problems need fast, safe action. In short: get; provide; remove, then complete the remaining steps below.

Step by step

  1. Get details from clinical staff and confirm patient safety.

  2. Provide a replacement device if available.

  3. Remove the faulty device and tag it out of service.

  4. Troubleshoot using the service manual.

  5. Repair, test and document.

  6. Report incidents as required by policy.

Safety reminders for biomedical equipment technicians

  • Follow infection control when handling clinical equipment
  • De-energize and discharge devices like defibrillators before repair
  • Use ESD protection on sensitive electronics
  • Tag out-of-service equipment clearly

Preventive maintenance (PM) · Electrical safety test · Leakage current · Calibration · CMMS · Patient simulator: see the full biomedical equipment technician glossary.

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