Like all IT hardware, medical displays and workstations are impacted by age and use. Unlike the average lifecycle of laptops and tablets, however, the replacement timing of diagnostic workstations, clinical workstations, medical laptops, and tablets can be a bit trickier to manage.

Due to costs, savvy administrators must project these future needs carefully. Failure to do so can negatively impact worker efficiency, patient satisfaction, and bottom line profitability.

Knowing what to look for is half the battle.

Diagnostic Workstations (General Imaging & Mammo/Tomo)

Used by radiologists and other imaging professionals, these mission critical units are used day-in and day-out for image interpretation and medical report generation. In most circumstances, failure of even a single unit can cause massive reading backlogs and have an immediate impact on the quality of patient care.

So – how can you predict when replacements are needed and are justified?

Diagnostic Monitors – Total Hours Meter:

Each diagnostic monitor maintains an internal database denoting the total hours the backlight has been in use. As the unit ages, the strength of the backlight begins to lessen... when this happens, the DICOM compliance software has to increasingly adjust the backlight strength to make up for the loss to keep the monitor DICOM compliant.

At some point, due to the total hours, there is no additional adjustment possible and the unit will fail DICOM compliance.

It’s important to monitor the hour meter to predict future failure.

Diagnostic Monitors – Physical Age:

Due to the critical nature of this equipment, when a unit fails, minimizing downtime is critical to the practice. This is most often managed by having an active HotSwap warranty on the diagnostic monitors. Without this level of coverage, the workstation may be offline for extended periods while repairs are being performed or replacements obtained.

It’s important to know that all your workstations are covered by a warranty and, ideally, a HotSwap warranty.

Diagnostic Tower – Physical Age:

Like the diagnostic monitors, these specialized workstations are critical to imaging and have a high impact if offline for any extended period of time. Additionally, since these devices are in constant use by the organization’s most expensive resource, it’s critical that these workstations operate at optimal levels.

Making sure the workstation tower is covered by hardware warranty is critical. Warranty service ensures that parts and expertise are available to repair and restore the unit to service. Hardware with an expiring warranty should be replaced immediately to ensure stable operations.

Generally speaking, every five years, you can expect a substantial improvement when using the latest generation of workstations.

Recently, we benchmarked workstations that were five years old and found the latest generation of CPU, RAM, and disk improved user responsiveness by as much as 150%! That’s a huge improvement in radiologist efficiency.

Keeping Spares on Hand – Diagnostic Workstations

Dictation Devices (Nuance PowerMic, Phillips SpeechMike, etc.)

The normal dictation devices get a LOT of use. Connectors, cable pivot points, and function keys tend to wear at a rapid pace. These are normally considered consumable items and at least one spare should be kept on hand at all times.

Medical Displays (General Imaging & Mammo)

Medical displays are often impacted by long lead times for new units. New orders can often take anywhere from 30-90 days to ship, especially for Mammo/Tomo monitors.

Depending on your current warrant situation, as well as the importance of the workstation, many consider it prudent to purchase an on-hand spare in order to avoid downtime when repairs are needed.

Diagnostic Tower (General Imaging & Mammo)

Typically, the Diagnostic Tower (CPU) is not covered by a HotSwap warranty. In these circumstances, workstations can be offline from days to weeks while repairs are made, or replacements shipped. Many find it wise to maintain a spare Diagnostic Tower to avoid downtime when repairs are needed.

Additional note from Xodus:

As a Double Black Imaging reseller, we provide ImageSystems diagnostic monitors as well as fully customized diagnostic workstations in both Mammo and General radiology versions. Both workstations and monitors carry 5year warranty and hot swap replacement. For help with hardware forecasting or quotes for your specific needs, please reach out to our team - we'd love to assist you!