Hospital-based expert model for health technology procurement planning in hospitals

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Technology Assessment

Background:

• Technological advancements in healthcare improve patient care but increase hospital complexity and costs.
• Effective planning for medical equipment procurement is essential for sustainable healthcare delivery.
• Decision-makers require robust tools to navigate complex technology acquisition processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design an expert model supporting hospital decision-makers in medical equipment procurement planning.
• To combine Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Medical Equipment Replacement Model (MERM) for comprehensive technology evaluation.
• To create a tool for prioritizing technology acquisition requests based on multidisciplinary information.

Main Methods:

• Development of prioritization algorithms.
• Weighting of criteria through expert interviews.
• Model validation using statistical testing and comparison with real-world decisions.
• Integration of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Medical Equipment Replacement Model (MERM).

Main Results:

• A semi-automated tool was developed to prioritize medical equipment acquisition requests.
• The model effectively utilizes multidisciplinary information for decision support.
• Validation confirmed the model's accuracy and utility for various user profiles.
• Integration of HTA and MERM provided a comprehensive evaluation framework.

Conclusions:

• The developed expert model offers a valuable tool for optimizing hospital technology procurement.
• The model enhances decision-making accuracy by incorporating diverse data and expert input.
• Customizable user profiles cater to the specific needs of hospital administrators and procurement teams.