NABL Accredited Calibration Services: Ensuring Accuracy, Compliance and Reliable Medical Equipment Performance
In healthcare settings like hospitals, diagnostic labs, pathology facilities, research institutes, and other health care centers, precise equipment is paramount to reliable outcomes. As little as a single misread on medical equipment can impact testing, diagnosis, quality control, and care. This is why it is essential to perform regular calibration to ensure the equipment is performing and measuring correctly.
NABL Accredited Calibration Services offer a standardized and accepted method of determining if measuring instruments and medical equipment are functioning within their range of specifications. Healthcare organizations that collaborate with certified calibration experts and adhere to established protocols can enhance their measurement accuracy, meet regulatory standards, and ensure operational continuity.
For healthcare businesses, KTPL Technologies offers professional calibration and maintenance services to ensure the accuracy and performance of the equipment in the laboratories and medical facilities.
Understand the concept of NABL Accredited Calibration Services.
NABL Accredited Calibration Services: These are calibration services that are conducted in the laboratories that have been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for specific calibration activities and capabilities.
Calibration is the process of comparing the performance of an instrument with the performance of a known instrument of high accuracy. Where differences are found these can be documented, evaluated and dealt with in accordance with the procedure.
Calibration is especially critical for healthcare facilities as some equipment, like laboratory analyzers, temperature monitors, weighing devices, pressure monitoring devices and other medical equipment, can directly affect testing and operating decisions.
NABL accreditation offers extra assurance that the laboratory runs in compliance with recognized quality and technical standards in its scope of accreditation.
Why is Calibration significant in the Healthcare Industry?
Medical and laboratory equipment is used continuously and can change in performance throughout its life cycle as a result of usage, environment, component ageing, maintenance and other influences. If these changes are not monitored regularly, they can go unnoticed!
Frequent calibration ensures that organisations detect measurement deviations in time before they turn into serious operational issues. It also provides the documentation of equipment inspection against suitable standards.
In pathology and diagnostic laboratories, maintaining the accuracy of measurement can be a tool to support reliable laboratory processes. Calibration in healthcare facilities can aid in equipment quality management and ensure proper documentation for audits and internal quality control.
Calibration needs to be considered as a continuous equipment management programme, not a one-off process.
How Does NABL Calibration Work?
The calibration process typically starts with the identification of the equipment, its specifications, history of previous calibration and the parameters of measurement. Then the required personnel check the equipment and make measurements using appropriate reference standards and procedures.
The results observed are compared to the applicable requirements or specified tolerances. Measurement uncertainty can also be accounted for when reporting measurement results, depending on the equipment and calibration activity.
Once the calibration process is finished, suitable documentation is given. An organization can use calibration records to monitor the performance of their equipment, find trends in deviations, schedule future calibrations and show compliance in quality audits.
The procedure depends on the type of equipment, measurement parameter, applicable standard and accredited laboratory scope.
Why Opt for NABL Accredited Calibration Services?The Advantages of Selecting NABL Accredited Calibration Services
Selecting a laboratory that has an appropriate accreditation can increase the confidence in the technical competence and quality system used for the calibration activity. This is particularly useful for health care providers who require traceable measurement results and documentation.
Frequent calibration can minimize chances of inaccurate measurements being made and ensure consistent equipment operation. It may also be used as a component of a preventive maintenance program to pinpoint equipment needing adjustment, repair, or additional technical investigation.
One of the other key advantages is documentation. Calibration certificates and service records serve as a record of the calibration activities performed, and are beneficial for internal quality management, audits, accreditation needs and equipment lifecycle management for the organization.
NABL accreditation for Medical and Laboratory Equipments.
There are many instruments in use at healthcare facilities which must be regularly verified and calibrated. Calibration can be performed on one or more measurement parameters relating to temperature, pressure, mass, electrical parameters, humidification, and other parameters depending on the scope of the accreditation and the requirements of the laboratory.
Medical laboratories may also need calibration assistance for their equipment in all phases of diagnostic processes and sample processing. The frequency of calibration should be based on the manufacturer's guidelines, equipment usage, environmental conditions, historical calibration experience, risk assessment, and/or organizational quality requirements.
It is important to ensure that the calibration provider's scope of accreditation from NABL includes the measurement requested. It is important to note that not all equipment types or measurements are necessarily covered by accreditation.
KTPL Technologies can support healthcare calibration in several ways.Here are a few ways in which KTPL Technologies can help in the healthcare calibration.
KTPL Technologies specializes in providing professional equipment calibration and maintenance services to hospitals, pathology labs, diagnostic centers, research institutes and other healthcare organizations.
It incorporates technical services, equipment assessment, documentation and preventive maintenance aspects in a way that enables organizations to manage their medical equipment more efficiently.
When looking for NABL accredited calibration services, the most critical factor to take into account is not just the selection of the service provider, but also the scope of the accreditation, the type of calibration that can be performed, the type of reference standard, the documentation, and the technical skills of the organization that provides the calibration services.
If properly managed, a calibration program can keep healthcare facilities from losing equipment records, provide for periodic services, and alert staff to the potential for equipment performance problems and assist with the facility's quality management system.
How Often Should Medical Equipment Be Calibrated?
Each medical device or laboratory instrument has its own calibration interval. The recommended frequency is dependent on the equipment manufacturer, relevant regulation/standard, usage, previous calibration, criticality of the equipment and risk assessment of the organisation.
Some instruments may need to be calibrated once a year, while others might need to be calibrated more often or be verified more frequently. Healthcare facilities must perform calibration in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, quality standards and have a documented calibration schedule.
The things to look at before hiring any calibration service provider?
All healthcare organizations should check if the laboratory is accredited for the calibration activity needed before choosing a calibration provider. The provider should also be able to describe the way in which it is calibrated and its reference standards, measurement capabilities, documentation procedure, and services needed.
The calibration certificate must be of special interest to organizations. It should clearly indicate equipment, measurement parameter, standards and/or reference, calibration results, relevant uncertainties (if applicable), and other necessary information.
When equipment accuracy directly impacts the quality of a lab and healthcare operations, the selection of a provider by price alone may not be suitable.
Conclusion
In healthcare settings, the NABL accredited calibration services can contribute significantly to ensuring measurement confidence, equipment performance, documentation of quality, and regulatory compliance. By conducting regular calibration, organizations can detect measurement deviations, keep records of calibration equipment, and ensure the smooth running of laboratory and medical operations.
Calibration should be part of a hospital's preventive maintenance and equipment management program, in diagnostic centers, pathology laboratories, and research facilities.
Through professional calibration and maintenance assistance, KTPL Technologies assists healthcare companies to approach healthcare equipment performance and measurement reliability in a structured method. It is always important to ensure that the applicable scope for NABL accreditation and calibration is appropriate for the technical requirements of the equipment to be calibrated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do NABL accredited calibration services do?
NABL accredited calibration services are services provided by a laboratory which is NABL accredited for particular calibration parameters and capabilities. The accreditation does not automatically extend to all equipment, it is only for the laboratory's specific scope.
Why is it important that NABL accreditation is given to calibration?
NABL accreditation helps to instil confidence in the laboratory that it has met the quality and technical standards applicable to its accredited scope. When the organizations need documented and technically sound calibration results, it can be of great value.
When should medical equipment be calibrated?
The frequency of calibration varies according to the type of equipment, manufacturer's instructions, usage, environment, previous calibration, risk level and quality requirements. The healthcare organization should have a documented calibration schedule.
Are all medical equipment covered under NABL accreditation?
NABL accreditation is scope specific. A laboratory can be accredited on specific parameters, ranges, and capabilities. Organizations should check whether the requested calibration is within the scope of the provider's accreditation.
What should be present in a calibration certificate?
Generally a calibration certificate will include information on the equipment, calibration activity, relevant measurement results and supporting information. It can also contain measurement uncertainty, reference standards, environmental conditions, traceability information and other technical details depending on the calibration.
Is it possible to increase the reliability of medical equipment by calibration?
Calibration is used to see if equipment measurements are within limits. In conjunction with the other essential activities of preventive maintenance, inspection and timely corrective actions, it can help ensure equipment performs more consistently and identify potential issues before they become serious.
What's so special about KTPL Technologies for healthcare calibration support?
KTPL Technologies offers calibration and maintenance services to healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic centres and research institutes. The service is intended to facilitate organizations to manage equipment performance, documentation, maintenance needs and continuous calibration needs.
