The Role of Medical Device Technicians and Specialists in Its Maintenance and Continued Operation in Healthcare Facilities

Abstract

The strategic importance of Medical Device Technicians and Specialists (MDTS) in terms of diagnosing medical equipment reliability and patient safety in the rapidly developing healthcare system in Saudi Arabia was not well quantified, which created a gap in knowledge of their particular contributions and obstacles to optimal performance. Subsequently, the purpose of this study was to conduct empirical research on the scope of practice, perceived impact, and systemic issues in MDTS in tertiary-care hospitals. It was a cross-sectional, descriptive study that used a structured questionnaire to administer to 156 MDTS who were recruited through stratified purposive sampling among the public tertiary hospitals of the public. The descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, ANOVA, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that certified technicians had a much wider scope of practice than non-certified employees (Mean Task Frequency Score: 81.9 vs. 73.8, p < 0.001). Professional experience ( = 0.43, p less than 0.001), certification ( = 0.24, p = 0.001), and task diversity ( = 0.30, p less than 0.001) were found to be significant positive predictors of perceived impact in a multiple regression model (R 2 = 0.49, p less than 0.001). Moreover, the certification status and the nature of primary challenge reported showed a significant relationship ( 8.95, n =.030) with the non-certified technicians over representing training gaps. The research paper concludes that the MDTS role is a multi-layered, important part of healthcare delivery, and the effectiveness of the role is closely associated with formal certification and ongoing professional growth. These results are a strong source of evidence that healthcare administrators will consider investing in standardized certification paths and special training programs to boost the medical technology support infrastructure, which eventually will improve the equipment uptime and patient safety.