One of the key issue of health technology management is to evaluate medical equipment lifecycle and to determine the necessity for the equipment replacement in time.
Aim of the study: The main objective of this pilot study is to create an approach for assessment of medical equipments and their prioritizing in the decision-making process concerning their purchase for a medical facility within their replacement on the basis of factors effecting the length of their lifecycle.
Methods: Methods of expert interviews and multicriteria decision-making were used for prioritization. On the basis of discussions with experts in respective fields of expertise (technical, clinical, user-operational), by using multicriteria decision methods (Fuller´s method), we determined the weights for individual criteria and areas necessary for calculation of the replacement priority index (PI).
Results: Methodological approach was tested in a outpatient helthcare facility specialized in radiodiagnostics. 3 medical equipments were tested while all of them was X-Ray equipments: RTG GE Discovery; RTG DRGEM; Opera 500C, U rameno Polistat – M.
Conclusion: This easy-to-apply methodology procedure may provide healthcare facilities with relevant information necessary for a decision-making process in the field of medical equipment replacement planning and thus to facilitate better investment planning.
