Evaluation of the Downtime of Radiological Equipment in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Radiology equipment should have minimal downtime and provide outputs of high reliability to ensure prompt and accurate diagnosis. Prolonged downtime affects the moral, productivity of radiographers, radiologists and patients are unduly delayed in accessing radiological services. The study was aimed at evaluating the downtime of the radiological equipment in Kano metropolis, Nigeria. The study design was retrospective conducted in some selected hospitals and a private center in the Kano metropolis from April 2019 to November 2019. An ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from the Human Research and Ethics Committee of the Kano State Ministry of Health. Purposive sampling method was used in selecting the hospitals and the private center. The model, year of installation and the downtime obtained from the records of all the selected equipment was recorded on the data capture sheet. Center I had the highest frequency of equipment breakdown (5times) while center IV and VI had the lowest frequency of breakdown (once). The equipment with the most prolonged and second most prolonged was found in Center IV (10years, 6months and 7years, 3 months). The equipment with the shortest downtime was found in Center II (1day) and the second shortest was found in Center III and VI (1week) each. X-ray machines had the most prolonged downtime followed by CT. MRI had the shortest downtime. Radiological equipment in Kano metropolis is associated with frequent breakdown and prolonged downtime. Keywords: Downtime, Radiological Equipment, Kano metropolis