Equipment Reliability, Device Handling, and Continuity of Respiratory Care in Hospitals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21272419Keywords:
continuity of care, device handling, equipment reliability, hospital respiratory care, respiratory equipmentAbstract
This study investigated how equipment reliability and device handling shaped the continuity of respiratory care in a hospital setting, with specific focus on Cagayan Valley Medical Center. A nonexperimental cross-sectional explanatory systems design was used to assess the interaction of equipment readiness, handling practices, and sustained respiratory care delivery. Participants were hospital personnel directly involved in respiratory care services, and data were gathered using a validated researcher-made questionnaire. The instrument showed excellent reliability, with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96. Descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling were used to analyze the data. Results showed that equipment reliability was moderately reliable, device handling was moderately evident, and continuity of respiratory care was moderately continuous. The findings indicated that respiratory equipment was generally functional and available, but gaps remained in timely repair, preventive maintenance, calibration checking, backup availability, alarm response, documentation, and shift-to-shift handover. Structural model results revealed that both equipment reliability and device handling had significant positive effects on continuity of respiratory care, with device handling emerging as the stronger predictor. The model explained a moderate proportion of variance in continuity of care, showing that sustained respiratory services depended on both dependable equipment and consistent clinical handling practices. The study concludes that improving respiratory care continuity requires an integrated hospital strategy that strengthens equipment maintenance, staff competency, documentation discipline, alarm management, and interprofessional coordination.
Downloads
References
Bahreini, R., Doshmangir, L., & Imani, A. (2018). Factors affecting medical equipment maintenance management: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 12(4), IC01–IC07. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2018/31646.11375
Bajorek, S. A., & McElroy, V. (2020). Discharge planning and transitions of care. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Patient Safety Network.
Berg, A. C., Evans, E., Okoro, U. E., Pham, V., Foley, T. M., Hlas, C., Kuhn, J. D., Nassar, B., Fuller, B. M., & Mohr, N. M. (2024). Respiratory therapist-driven mechanical ventilation protocol is associated with increased lung protective ventilation. Respiratory Care, 69(9), 1071–1080. doi: 10.4187/respcare.11599
Chen, S., Zhi, H., Wu, S., Jiang, R., Zhang, H., Zhang, H., & Zhang, H. (2023). Determinants of medical equipment alarm fatigue in practicing nurses: A systematic review. SAGE Open Nursing, 9, 23779608231207227. doi: 10.1177/23779608231207227
Dummer, J., & Stokes, T. (2020). Improving continuity of care of patients with respiratory disease at hospital discharge. Breathe, 16(3), 200161. doi: 10.1183/20734735.0161-2020
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Koo, T. K., & Li, M. Y. (2016). A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 15(2), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012
Lin, Z., Kang, J., Wei, Y., & Zou, B. (2024). Maintenance management strategies for medical equipment in healthcare institutions: A review. BME Horizon, 2, 2024135. doi: 10.70401/bmeh.2024.135
Michas, M., Deuchar, L., Leigh, R., Bhutani, M., Rowe, B. H., Stickland, M. K., & Ospina, M. B. (2020). Factors influencing the implementation and uptake of a discharge care bundle for patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative focus group study. Implementation Science Communications, 1, Article 3. doi: 10.1186/s43058-020-00017-5
Mireles-Cabodevila, E., Siuba, M. T., & Chatburn, R. L. (2022). A taxonomy for patient-ventilator interactions and a method to read ventilator waveforms. Respiratory Care, 67(1), 129–148. doi: 10.4187/respcare.09316
Piraino, T., Madden, M., Roberts, K. J., Lamberti, J., Ginier, E., & Strickland, S. L. (2022). AARC clinical practice guideline: Management of adult patients with oxygen in the acute care setting. Respiratory Care, 67(1), 115–128. doi: 10.4187/respcare.09294
Ramírez, I. I., Gutiérrez-Arias, R., Damiani, L. F., Adasme, R. S., Arellano, D. H., Salinas, F. A., Roncalli, A., Núñez-Silveira, J., Santillán-Zuta, M., Sepúlveda-Barisich, P., Gordo-Vidal, F., & Blanch, L. (2024). Specific training improves the detection and management of patient-ventilator asynchrony. Respiratory Care, 69(2), 166–175. doi: 10.4187/respcare.11329
Rendon, A., Luhning, S., Bardin, P., Celis-Preciado, C. A., El Shazly, M., Cohen-Todd, M., Ismail, A. I., Idrees, M., Lim, S. Y., Fu, P. K., Seemungal, T., Köktürk, N., & Hurst, J. R. (2025). Recommendations for improving discharge-related care following a COPD exacerbation: An expert panel consensus with emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 20, 1111–1129. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S502971
Republic Act No. 11498. (2020). An Act increasing the bed capacity of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao City, Province of Cagayan, from five hundred (500) to one thousand (1,000) beds and appropriating funds therefor.
Rutala, W. A., & Weber, D. J. (2021). Disinfection and sterilization in health care facilities: An overview and current issues. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America, 35(3), 575–607. doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2021.04.004
Sowan, A. K., Staggers, N., Reed, C. C., Austin, T., Chen, Q., Xu, S., & Lopez, E. (2022). State of science in alarm system safety: Implications for researchers, vendors, and clinical leaders. Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, 56(1), 19–28. doi: 10.2345/0899-8205-56.1.19
World Health Organization. (2021). Global patient safety action plan 2021–2030: Towards eliminating avoidable harm in health care. World Health Organization.
World Health Organization & United Nations Children’s Fund. (2019). WHO-UNICEF technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices. World Health Organization.
Yusoff, M. S. B. (2019). ABC of content validation and content validity index calculation. Education in Medicine Journal, 11(2), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.21315/eimj2019.11.2.6
Zamzam, A. H., Abdul Wahab, A. K., Azizan, M. M., Satapathy, S. C., Lai, K. W., & Hasikin, K. (2021). A systematic review of medical equipment reliability assessment in improving the quality of healthcare services. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 753951. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.753951
Ziaudeen, Z., Jesiah, S., & Dakshinamoorthi, A. (2026). Medical device errors in intensive care units and patient safety: A systematic review. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 23(6), 1–17. doi: 10.1080/17434440.2026.2649555
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
