Even with preventive maintenance, problems can occur. The only difference is now that the problems do not happen as frequently or in a way that is costly to fix. However, in certain circumstances, repairs just aren’t enough. While a temporary electrical malfunction may not affect a household too much, certain establishments such as medical facilities absolutely rely on reliable access to power. The only way to make sure these problems have a minimal impact is to have a contingency plan in place.
What is your medical facility’s backup plan for a blackout or brownout? If you don’t have one yet, consider a UPS system, short for uninterruptible power supply.
Ever heard of a UPS system before? If not, you are in the right place! We will tackle what this system is and why you will want to have one for your medical imaging equipment:
What is a UPS system?
A UPS is a piece of equipment designed to provide emergency power in the case that the main source of power fails. This is different from something like a generator where a generator requires to be switched on to provide the power, a UPS system does not. It almost instantly kicks in when power is cut, hence the name uninterruptible power supply. However, unlike other power sources, this system does not last too long. It gives you a brief few minutes to quickly kick in another power source or to take action to save whatever activity you were participating in.
Why is a UPS system necessary for medical imaging?
There are many reasons a UPS system is vital for medical imaging activities.
One of the biggest reasons a UPS system is vital for your medical imaging activities is because if you experienced power loss, it will prevent your equipment from shutting down. Sudden shutdowns are a significant cause of data loss, and preventing this means you stop yourself from losing vital pictures from the medical imaging equipment. With a UPS alone, you can quickly take action to save any files you need to save before safely shutting the system down.
If you were still halfway through a scan, a UPS system could help you quickly head to the generator and start it. This allows you to continue operations despite what has happened, and the last thing you want to do is inconvenience a patient. Remember, the patients already did their part in dedicating some of their precious time to undergo the process, and some may have even traveled far to get the imaging done. Having a UPS system and a generator work together allows you to keep up the services, keeping your patients happy.
Conclusion
All in all, having a UPS system, although requiring some form of financial investment, is an incredibly financially sound decision to make. With it, you protect your equipment, data, and patients. In the long run, being able to provide your medical imaging equipment with clean, consistent power will allow you to create better images which leads to better medical services and happier patients who can rely on you for your services. Sure, you will pay for the UPS system, and you will have to maintain it once or twice a year. You will even need to replace the UPS batteries once in a while. However, these costs are nothing compared to the benefits it provides. Nothing beats having peace of mind knowing you can proceed with imaging even if the power cuts out thanks to your UPS system.
DirectMed Parts is a trustable source of medical imaging parts and services, specializing in MRI and CT parts and coils to serve professionals quickly and effectively. If you need UPS services to pair with your imaging equipment in the US, work with us today!