Improving Medical Equipment Maintenance and Sustainment through Simulators and Trainers

NCMS Project #: 142027

Problem: When used in a MEDEVAC setting, medical equipment designed for use in hospitals can fail unless properly operated and maintained by the user.  While advanced simulations for medical-specific training has increased during the past two decades, those focused on medical equipment maintenance training have lagged.  In addition, there has been little consensus on the methods or urgency to provide an integrated training solution that addresses both the critical medical care and medical equipment maintenance tasks required to save lives in emergency MEDEVAC scenarios.

Benefit: The use of integrated training simulation solutions and other new methods of training will result in more highly trained workers in a variety of industries which are more proficient at performing their technical tasks and maintaining their equipment.

Solution/Approach: Medical personnel serving the public as well as those who care for DOD’s warfighters are not only responsible for the safe and effective operation of the medical equipment in their charge, but are also responsible for the field-level maintenance required to keep this equipment ready and operational.  The objective of this project is to develop an integrated training simulator that provides emergency responders and DOD medics with a training device that teaches the operators how to both use the medical equipment in the execution of their duties as well as to provide the necessary maintenance required to keep these systems ready at a moment’s notice.  

Impact on Warfighter:

  • Integrated simulation training solution providing realistic and hands-on environment
  • Reduce risk of equipment failure
  • Improve proficiency, quality and safety of medical care
  • Increase warfighter readiness

DOD Participation:

  • U.S. Army, Project Manager (PM) Medical Simulations
  • U.S. Army, Project Manager Mounted Armored Vehicles (PM MAV)
  • U.S. Army Medical Center for Excellence

Industry Participation:

  • Defense Engineering Services (DES)
  • NCMS

Benefit Area(s):

  • Cost savings
  • Maintenance avoidance and reliability
  • Maintenance management improvement
  • Improved readiness
  • Durability
  • Reliability Improvement

Focus Area:

  • Training

Final Report