Clinical engineering and HTM directors
Separate location, readiness and staffing problems before asking for headcount or tracking hardware.
Free guide for clinical engineering and nursing leaders
Hospital equipment management: find it, keep it ready, buy less
We Own It. Why Can't We Find It? · US edition
Hospitals often own enough infusion pumps and still run short on the ward. This free guide shows how to find where availability leaks, fix ownership and records first, choose tracking per device class, keep devices ready for use, satisfy surveyors and decide when to share, repair, replace or buy.
- 74-page PDF
- 9 chapters
- 3 worked examples
- 5 templates
Start with availability
Hospital equipment management: find it, keep it ready, buy less: where to begin
Hospital equipment management covers the whole life of a medical device: the register, where it is and who holds it, whether it is clean, maintained and safe to use, and when to retire or replace it. For clinical engineering and nursing, the useful measure is availability: a ready device at the point of care when a patient needs it.
Start with one device class and a two-week baseline: count the register, sweep every room, record what is in use, idle, dirty or faulty, and log every search. The guide then shows how to set par levels, run the clean and dirty loop, keep one trusted register, pick QR, RFID or location tracking where each pays, and present the evidence a capital committee will accept.
To see how one equipment record supports this method, explore Assetly hospital asset management software. The PDF is free to use with your own team.
CNOs and nurse managers
Set par levels from counts, reduce search time and stop hoarding without blame.
Supply chain, finance and capital committees
Review every equipment request with utilization, readiness and service history on one page.
From diagnosis to decision
A four-part equipment availability method
Work through the parts in order. Each one leaves your team with something it can review.
- 01
Chapters 1–2
Measure the gap
The hidden cost of unavailable equipment, what hospitals have measured, the availability funnel and a two-week baseline.
Your working output: Six agreed measures and a funnel for one device class.
- 02
Chapters 3–4
Fix ownership and records
Departmental, pooled and hybrid models, the clean and dirty loop, par levels, the asset record, lifecycle, transfers and reconciliation.
Your working output: Pars, a trusted register and an exception list with owners.
- 03
Chapters 5–7
Track and keep devices ready
QR, barcode, RFID, BLE and RTLS by device class; eight equipment statuses; maintenance, recalls, contracts; CMS and Joint Commission evidence.
Your working output: A tracking choice per class and a survey-ready evidence map.
- 04
Chapters 8–9
Decide and run it
Share, repair, replace or buy; total cost of ownership; replacement scoring; a 90-day rollout, daily huddle and monthly review.
Your working output: A one-page business case and a review rhythm.
Use it on Monday
Templates and worked examples in the guide
The PDF includes worksheets and procedures to adapt to your own hospital.
Floor sweep sheet and status codes
Record every device found, where, and in what state, in one day.
Par level worksheet
Set unit pars from peak use, new starts and a safety margin.
Tracking technology worksheet
Score each device class before choosing QR, RFID or location hardware.
Vendor questions
Ten questions to ask any asset tracking or CMMS vendor.
One-page purchase case
Request, evidence of shortage, what was tried, options and a conditional approval.
Monthly review and checklist
Six numbers, three decisions, and a one-page programme checklist.
Templates are presented in the PDF; no separate editable workbook is included.
Look inside the actual guide
Preview pages from the guide
These pages are taken from the PDF. Enter your email to get the complete guide.
Where equipment hides on one floor
One pump, one day: the clean and dirty loop
Scan, sweep or listen: three ways to track
Before you request it
Common questions
What is hospital equipment management?
It is the programme that keeps medical devices registered, located, clean, maintained and safe to use across their life, from purchase to disposal. This guide focuses on availability: getting a ready device to the point of care when it is needed.
Why do hospitals run short of equipment they own?
In published hospital cases the cause is usually the loop rather than the fleet size: devices waiting dirty, kept in unit closets, out for repair, or still listed after retirement. The guide shows how to measure which one you have before buying more.
Do we need RTLS to fix equipment availability?
Not always. One published hospital removed its nurse search time for IV pumps with process changes and no tracking system. The guide recommends owner and process first, then QR or RFID, and battery-tag location tracking only for the device classes where searches are frequent and costly.
What do CMS and the Joint Commission expect for medical equipment?
CMS expects an inventory of owned and leased equipment with maintenance records, and allows a documented alternate maintenance programme with exceptions. From January 2026 the Joint Commission moved medical equipment requirements into its Physical Environment chapter. The guide maps the evidence and notes what to confirm in current manuals.
Is the guide free, and do I have to give my email?
It is free, and we send it by email. Enter your work email in the form on this page. It does not subscribe you to marketing emails.
Is there an India edition?
Yes. The India edition covers NABH FMS.5, AERB, the government Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Program and uptime-based maintenance contracts.
Keep going