Relação entre a periodicidade de inspeções e manutenções corretivas de cardioversores: um estudo exploratório em ambiente hospitalar

Abstract

The reliability of medical-hospital equipment is a determining factor for patient safety and the efficiency of healthcare services. Given the importance of critical medical devices in healthcare units, the defibrillator stands out as essential in emergency and urgent care, whose operation requires rigorous inspection and maintenance routines. This study investigates the relationship between the inspection periodicity of defibrillators and the occurrence of corrective maintenance in a hospital environment, focusing on the role of Clinical Engineering as a strategic element in health technology management. It adopts a qualitative, basic, and exploratory approach applied to a public Health Care Establishment (HCE). Based on the documental and graphical analysis of data, it was verified that equipment subjected to semiannual inspections showed a trend toward reduced technical failures compared to those inspected annually. However, the Student’s t-test (Welch), with t = 0.227 and p = 0.839, indicated that this difference is not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, its clinical relevance is significant, as defibrillators are life-support equipment and their failure can compromise patient safety. The results highlight the importance of defining customized inspection schedules based on criteria such as criticality, usage history, and failure frequency, overcoming generic practices that disregard the operational reality of equipment. The study also emphasizes the need for integration between inspection, preventive, and predictive maintenance practices, as well as suggesting the digitalization and standardization of records to ensure traceability, regulatory compliance, and technical decision-making support. Furthermore, it concludes that periodic inspection, when associated with performance indicator–based management, contributes to greater patient safety, operational efficiency, and institutional sustainability.