Medical equipment lifecycle ( Medical Equipment & Technology Services Management) - Essay Example

The technology life cycle of a medical component initiates in the design and acquisition phase, by means of the acceptance process. The technology life cycle of the medical component extends through its application in the clinical environment . Subsequently, it reaches the obsolescence phase where it is replaced and discarded after reaching its maximum life utility. The acquisition, approval and obsolescence of a medical technology occurs only once in its useful life (Chan, 2003, p. 13). The optimal application of technology incorporates a number of occupations and can occur over a variety of instances.

This optimal application of medical technology can be deconstructed into two sub cycles. These sub cycles are the acquisition and application sub cycle. The acquisition sub cycle consists of the following events: Technology evaluation- Technology evaluation is a classification of policy study which reviews the short term and long term outcomes which are societal, ethical, legal and economic. These aspects constitute the comprehensive evaluation of the technology (Banta, 2009, p. 8). The gold criteria for clinical research assessment of novel medical technology is historically recognized as the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) (NHTSA, n.d.).

A primary tenet of technology evaluation is “buying smart, not cheap”(University of Boston Massachusetts, 2010, p 9). In the technology evaluation, the following details are delineated: Guiding adaptation and application in medical equipment technology goes hand in hand. The important factor in being successful is carrying out a comprehensive and thorough planning procedure (NSBA, n.d.). Efficient technology designs are directed towards applications, instead of technology. The technology should be based on inputs and not results (See, n.d.).

A new medical technology equipment system