Please share your opinions on the following 10 questions

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* 1. The life expectancy of a new probe is 3 - 5 years depending upon type. How many years should a repaired probe last?

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* 2. Should a repaired probe, which is 2 years old, have the same performance of a new probe or a 2-year-old probe?

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* 3. Please rate on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being extremely important. How important is the overall appearance of a repaired probe relative to a near-new probe?

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* 4. Over time, with normal use, probes will develop cosmetic blemishes which do not impact performance or safety. Examples could include ink marks on the cable, minor staining from gel and chipped pain on the connector. They would not include items such as cracks in the probe housing.

If a repaired probe is going to be returned to the same user should the blemishes be repaired/addressed?

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* 5. Typically, when an OEM supplies a new or factory refurbished probe, they do not provide documentation relative to the probe’s performance.

When a probe is repaired by someone, other than the OEM, should that provider (or an OEM) be required to supply documentation relative to the probe’s performance?

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* 6. Do you, or does your facility, perform incoming QC inspections on new, factory refurbished and/or repaired probes?

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* 7. Organizations, such as the ACR and AIUM, have established criteria for assessing probe performance using a tissue mimicking phantom. 

Do you think that this level of testing is sufficient when qualifying/accepting a repaired probe?

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* 8. OEM’s recommend that end-users (sonographers, echo-techs, etc) perform regular, if not daily, visual inspections of their probes?

Please rate on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most frequent. How frequently do the end-users, in your facility, perform regular visual inspections of their probes?

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* 9. Please rate on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important. How important is it that repair providers utilize and supply documentation via independent testing devices (such as Probe Hunter, First Call, Aureon, etc.) as part of their outgoing QC?

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* 10. Who should have the final say of acceptable probe performance/image quality?

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* 11. If interested in receiving a brief on Getting Schooled in Ultrasound Probe Operations and the results of this survey, please provide your contact info below.

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