Overview
If you’re recovering from an injury or living with a medical condition, your doctor might recommend medical equipment to improve your quality of life and help you do certain tasks. There are many kinds of medical equipment, including mobility devices to help you move and implantable devices that work inside your body.
These devices are designed to be very reliable, but there is always a chance that they could break. If this happens, you will need to request repairs.
When you first get your medical device, your healthcare providers will give you instructions on how to use it, and they might send you to a medical device specialist to get more education and training. If you have a device that holds or attaches to your body, like a wheelchair, you might need a wheelchair fitting to make sure that the cushions and dimensions of the equipment work for your body.
Your doctor or medical device specialist should also give you instructions on what to do if your device breaks. Sometimes, your doctor might suggest you have a backup device on hand in case your main one fails. For instance, if your electric wheelchair breaks, you can still use a manual one to get around.
If your device breaks or needs repair, you may need to call your medical equipment company for repair service. The way the repairs are done will depend on the specific kind of device you have. For example:
- Mobility devices. Wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches are built to handle a lot of stress as they help you move around. If these break, you can sometimes bring the equipment into a medical device repair company to fix, or a technician can visit your home to help.
- Other devices. Some tools, like ventilators, can also break. The medical equipment company that provided you with your machine will assist you in fixing and maintaining these devices.
Things to Know
Your healthcare providers or medical device specialist will give you basic instructions on how to use your medical equipment. In order to work properly, your device may need routine maintenance. Basic maintenance can sometimes be done by you, or it will be done by your device specialist as recommended. You should make sure you understand and ask any questions, such as:
- How often does this device need maintenance?
- What happens if the equipment fails?
- Who do I call to fix or service my device?
- Is there a cost to perform maintenance or repairs?
If you can live without the device that breaks, then you can most likely wait until a time that’s convenient to fix it. However, critical devices like ventilators will need to be repaired as soon as possible.
If a device that keeps you alive stops working, or you think it is not working properly, go to the emergency room right away or call 911.