Sleep Tech Tip of the Week
By Michael Miller, RPSGT

After a recent conversation with a colleague, who is a technical support specialist, I felt that this week’s tech tip of the week should be focused on the topic of troubleshooting. I asked to him to give me a percentage value for the usual type of technical support calls that he receives. His response was surprising to me. He informed me that 10% of technical support phone calls that he receives were related to sensor failures, 10% were associated to computer problems, 10% were linked to legitimate system software issues, 10% were connected to actual hardware malfunctions, and 60% of the calls that he fields were correlated with user error. I asked him to elaborate on the user error calls that made up more than half of his of his work load. He further explained that a majority of these calls came from new users of the equipment which was to be expected during the acclimation period of a new system.

Based on the above percentages of technical support calls received, I have 5 suggestions that may aid in troubleshooting your sleep system.

1. Inspect your patient sensors prior to hook up. If there are any signs of damage to the sensor replace it and inform your lab manager. Most sensors carry a 12 month warranty and can be replaced free of charge if they have not been abused.

2. Check your computer settings and run regularly scheduled antivirus scans. The majority of computer problems can be prevented by adhering to out of the box specification requirements and eliminating spyware and malware that can infiltrate our computers while online.

3. Check your systems software settings prior to beginning a study. Most likely you’re not the only person with access to your computer. An interpreting physician or daytime technologist may have manipulated software settings that may influence the integrity of your signal.

4. Inspect your hardware components prior to starting a study. Make sure that all cables, wires, and connectors are intact and appear to be in good working order. Inadvertently a member of housekeeping may have accidentally unplugged an essential cable that is required for the operation of the system.

5. Refer to the HELP toolbar or user manual for basic system functions. More often than not these sources of information are extremely helpful and can reduce the amount of time that you may spend on the phone with technical support staff.

These simple suggestions can be used merely as first points of reference when experiencing technical problems. Official product and technical support staff are always on hand and available 24/7 to assist at your convenience.

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Tags: sleep study, sleep study preparation, test preparation, troubleshooting, troubleshooting medical equipment