"A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dream come true". –Greg S. Reid
Good practice in medical equipment consultancy is to aim at providing medical equipment that is in line with clients’ vision as well as one that meets the necessary requirements of the existing or proposed healthcare facility.

Planning:

The role of a medical equipment advisor commences from the assessment of appropriate technology vis a vis the level of services that the hospital is providing, procurement assistance to overseeing installation and training of the concerned departmental staff.
The two essential factors considered in medical equipment planning are the clinical specialty and its level of practice/service, which varies from hospital to hospital. Every hospital/greenfield project can have its own challenges. In order to address medical equipment planning in a systematic manner, factors such as the location, available space for the infrastructure, size of the departments, trained manpower, paying capacity of the patients the hospital is likely to service, etc. should be taken into consideration.

Techno-Commercial Assessment:

With the help of resources like equipment database, quality standards, technical specifications, utility requirements (weight load, heat load, environmental needs, etc.) and market prices, a detailed list of appropriate medical devices can be prepared. This list can serve as a reference and starting point after which a techno-commercial comparison would be conducted. Based on this the equipment quoted could be ranked.
Subsequently, on the conclusion of this comparison, the equipment manufacturer/distributor can be ranked in terms of their market share, service support, etc. This added comparison would give the client a more holistic perspective of the equipment that is to be procured.

Procurement:

With the right expertise and associations, a medical equipment planner can help ensure that the supplier provides satisfactory products at competitive prices within the stipulated delivery schedule and also factors in quality post-sales services/maintenance terms and pricing. The procurement process also involves preparing a comprehensive checklist, which ensures the equipment is in accordance to the purchase contract and has the requisite quality assurance certificate, e.g. CE, UL, FDA verified.
Overseeing installation:
There are many factors that are to be considered during installation

• Site readiness in all aspects so that the equipment can be moved into the area/ room meant for it without any “afterthought” additions/changes in infrastructure, electrical, HVAC, etc.
• Since medical devices are sensitive, the manufacturer's requirements for installation and use of devices need to be followed strictly.
• In cases where the equipment needs to be stored prior to installation/use, one should ensure that storage conditions recommended by the manufacturer viz. humidity, temperature, etc. are adhered to.
  We believe that the primary responsibility for the use, care, and preventive maintenance of equipment rests with the departmental operating staff. They need to understand not only how each equipment works but also what their limitations are. This is accomplished by providing training to department technicians, doctors, nursing staff biomedical engineers in basic equipment operations, care, and preventative maintenance.

Ideally, a medical equipment consultant should follow the four A’s that are affordability, assurance, accessibility, availability, while planning. At the same time, they must make sure that while maintaining project budgets there are no compromises made in the level of technology, services, operations, and patient and operator safety.