Inconsistencies in quality testing and maintenance of high-tech NSW hospital equipment used to diagnose cancer has been revealed in an auditor's report.
While PET-CT scanners were found to be generally well managed in NSW hospitals, Auditor-General Margaret Crawford found some problems with the way the machines were tested.
"The information systems used to record maintenance and testing histories of biomedical equipment were inefficient and inadequate for effective planning, monitoring and reporting," Ms Crawford said in the report released on Thursday.
The machines are used to scan the body, using small amounts of radioactive materials, to build a picture of organs or tissue and identify possible problems such as cancer.
Ms Crawford also found hospitals did not maintain adequate oversight of testing and maintenance that was outsourced to external contractors.
The audit found only about half of the CT scanners sampled had been tested and maintained in accordance with scheduled intervals, or within the 30 days it was due.
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